You may not know Arvida Byström by name, but if you’ve been anywhere near Instagram in the last couple of years, the chances are you’ll have seen her work. The Swedish model-cum-photographer has a hefty following (that currently stands at 243K), and fragments of her bubblegum pink, cherry-infused dreamland are constantly re-blogged across the internet. Although Byström is undoubtedly a reputable photographer — she’s shot for Wonderland, VICE and was featured in Petra Collins’ Babe — she’s perhaps as well known for her politics as for her art.
An outspoken feminist, who doesn’t believe in binaries, Byström’s work has always had a clear agenda. From the visible menstruation in There Will Be Blood, to the sickly sweet candy-coloured photographs which take “femininity” and dial it up to the max, the messages in her images aren’t exactly subtle, or hard to decipher. Last year, the artist hit headlines after she received an unimaginable backlash — from hate to actual rape threats — for her choice to show leg-hair in an Adidas campaign, and took to Instagram to call out her haters. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to not posses all these privileges and try to exist in the world,” Byström wrote. “Me being such an abled, white, cis body with its only nonconforming feature being a lil leg hair.”
Since then, Byström says she’s burrowed beneath the surface of feminism and become more engaged in theory. The now-26 year old has a string of top-secret projects in the pipeline, some of which (though we can’t reveal them) seem at odds with her ethos. It seems Byström is teetering on the precipice of a very big break, and we’re dubious, yet intrigued about what the future will hold for her. For the time being, Byström is jet-setting between London and L.A., promoting her latest collaborative project with Berlin-based luggage label Horizn Studios, which will culminate in an immersive experience at the luggage brand’s pop-up event in London tonight. Ahead of the event, we caught up with the photographer to talk about her life and work to date.
How do you define femininity? What does that word mean to you?
To some extent it can be subjective — it fluctuates in different situations. It’s somewhat relational, but basically, femininity is a set of different attributes that are seen as being tied to what history has perceived as ‘womanly’. And, in the same way, sometimes queers and men who aren’t seen as fitting in the realm of what is considered ‘manly’ get deemed feminine as if it’s an insult.
Is it a concept you particularly subscribe to — do you think it’s important to embrace?
I don’t believe in binaries, so I don’t think it’s something women or girls especially need to embrace. Though it is nice to see that for all people — queers, men, women, anybody — what is usually perceived as feminine is actually a bunch of really empathic features like being soft, listening and showing feelings.
You’ve previously said that you see yourself now as deeper into feminism than when you started making art. And that you’ve moved on from surface issues like body hair and menstruation. How would you say you try to represent your new-brand of feminism in your work — what ideas does it entail?
I think I’m not necessarily trying to teach people things with my art, but to just work through feelings and emotions that I have to deal with due to society.
Considering your huge instagram/ tumblr following do you feel an obligation to be a role model? Is that a weird thing for you?
Hm yeah I mean, I don’t think I’m somebody you should look up to, and it is something I struggle with because I don’t like that people compare themselves to me, that makes me sad. But I guess some people will always do that in an unhealthy way, which breaks my heart.
Has photography allowed you to explore your own identity — how has it taught you about yourself?
I think it is a fun way to explore your identity, find yourself and also find out that certain things you believe about yourself or the world isn’t true. We receive so much of the world through images, so learning how to master a camera is strangely empowering these days. Because you kinda realise a lot of things are simply about perspective.
What was your relationship to yourself and your body as a teenager?
I had eating disorders, so it was pretty disastrous. Taking self portraits to begin with made me feel probably more shit than not doing it, but also when I found my way out of eating disorders, I used to take photos of myself when I felt ugly and process that in different ways, which was strangely powerful too.
Even though your work is popular on Instagram, you yourself didn’t come of age in the Instagram generation. How do you think this is impacting a younger generation of girls?
It’s complicated. Just a mobile device with internet on its own is stressful, due to how it is designed with notifications and stuff, and there are a lot of people to compare yourself to online. But then, on the other side, there’s this possibility to find friends and like-minded people, no matter where you’re from. I was depressed as a teen and had a blog, which was a very important way for me to make friends. Also Tumblr taught me about a lot of politics and stuff, so I am forever thankful for that!
What’s your relationship to the term ‘female gaze’? Do you think it’s a positive and empowering lens through which to view work by female photographers or do you think it’s reductive?
Yeah, it’s a bit reductive and commercialised these days, and just because something is photographed by a woman it doesn’t make it a good or justifiable photo per se. But, it also has been important to flip the script and get other people behind the cameras.
You’ve been quite outspoken about your anti-capitalist and feminist views in interviews before — how do you reconcile these morals and beliefs when doing commercial work — like working with brands — of course it’s part of the system and it’s an inevitable part of being a creative these days, but how do you choose who to work with?
I mean this is a hard one and I don’t necessarily make a difference between brands. None of them are really transparent, so it makes it very difficult sometimes.
The Arvida Byström x Horizn Studios pop-up event will take place tonight from 7pm – 12am. 15 Bateman Street, Soho. To attend the event, RSVP to rsvp@alexandrapreusche.com