Sexy, lurid and satirical: Elizabeth Renstrom’s rose-tinted photography hides a deeper meaning

Elizabeth Renstrom lures viewers into her deep pastel-hued images with “bright poppy colours, fuzzy textures, and generally softer materials”. But, for the Brooklyn-based photographer, it’s all a gentle rouse to “disarm people before they're confronted with the sometimes thornier topics” covered in her work. And yes, it’s easy to catch yourself ogling at glossy subjects drenched in Y2K nostalgia, but set aside the rose-tinted glasses and you’ll see Elizabeth’s satirical musings. This includes explorations on “personal spaces, how visual culture affects us, and our collective connection to beauty and products”, she says.

Having been the senior photo editor at The New Yorker and, prior to that, Vice Media, Elizabeth knows what makes an image work. However, she continuously colours outside the lines. Her prop-driven still life and portraiture studio work, which she describes as “saturated & satirical”, finds inspiration in artists like Adrienne Salinger, Terrell Davis, Sue De Beer as well as in filmmakers like Todd Solondz, Karyn Kusama and Céline Sciamma. It’s this mix that leaves the work oozing with charm.