MUNTHE ART MONDAY: ASTRID BRYDER

Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.

My name is Astrid Bryder. I am 29 years old and live in Copenhagen. My artistic practice consists of painting and cameraless photography - both abstract. I am interested in how art is experienced based on technique, materials and color combinations.

Astrid is wearing Sumatra pants.

Can you name some other female (artist) that inspires you and explain why they do so?

I am quite fond of Maja Malou Lyse. Even if our works do not resemble each other, I am fascinated by the way she problematizes the framework of how women and gender are generally portrayed in everyday life. What I can use and get out of her practice is to manifest my gender and the right to be a woman in the art business.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?

To be seen and heard. Like many other industries, it is male dominated, although it has developed a lot even in the years, I have been in it. There is still a long way to go - at least I believe. I remember losing heart several times, still knowing that this would not mean I would give up. I have felt that I am not considered equal to male artists. I don't want to be considered a female artist. Just an artist.

Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?

I clearly remember when I was 21 and took part in my first exhibition at a gallery here in Copenhagen. I was young, completely green in the art business and I was met by people who did not take me seriously because of my age and my gender. It was very clear. Several thought I was there to serve champagne to the guests. They looked surprised when they found out that I was one of the artists. They only asked about whether I went to an art academy and not at all about the works of art that were in the exhibition. I myself was the only female artist at the exhibition. I was sad, but also angry. I used that anger to find my own way in the art business. My focus has always been to prioritize my mental health, because without it I cannot create the art that I want to. I insist on speaking up to be heard, especially by the older, experienced men who feel they own the business, but we are a new generation of women who can and do what they want.

Astrid is wearing Sussima blazer.

What would you like people to notice in your artwork?

I hope that the viewer sees all the facets of the works. In the texture paintings, it's not just that they change color when you move around them, but also how they move out into space and play with your vision, via the optical illusion. They come to life but are still simple and minimalistic. In those without a camera, I hope you can dive into the medium of photography. I am deeply fascinated by analogue photography, as it arises from light hitting a surface. Instead of having the subject in focus, as if it were a portrait, I want people to see that it is still just as much a photograph, because they are both created by the light hitting a light-sensitive surface. It is so simple and deeply fascinating. To think someone once invented that!