The Cal 2026: Sølve Sundsbø in his ‘element’
By Luca Bavasso
Since its initial publication in 1964, the Pirelli Calendar – now simply known as The Cal – has established itself as one of the most coveted cultural landmarks. Limited in circulation, the calendar’s exclusivity has bestowed upon itself a near-mythical status. The Cal thus represents the ultimate prize for leading photographers, a legacy framed by Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz and Richard Avedon in decades past. Once filled with sun-kissed erotica and glossy pin-ups, the calendar now serves as a cultural reference that stands at the intersection of art, fashion and identity. Pirelli have shed their purely sexual conventions and now chronicle our contemporary understanding of glamour and celebrity.
Sølve Sundsbø is the latest photographer to be entrusted by Pirelli to carry forward The Cal’s legacy. The Norwegian, London-based creator is widely celebrated for his ethereal images and stylistic versatility. I went to speak to Sundsbø for THREAD ahead of the upcoming launch of The Cal’s 52nd edition.
I began by asking him how he intended to stamp his own artistic mark on the Cal. He explained it was key to build a visual narrative that felt fresh and personal. “The calendar has always been a reflection of its time,” he says, “I wanted it to be 2026 and not 1976.” Sundsbø acknowledges the weight of The Cal’s legacy, embraces it, and then spins it on his head. “It’s very easy to be trapped by what you think it should be, but if you can take that idea, spin it and make it your own, then it’s great.” Through his lens, Sundsbø wanted to capture human beauty stripped back to its purest, most sensory form. With the likes of iconic model and actor Isabella Rossellini adorned with flowers, seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams backlit by flames and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton placed in a world of magical greenery, Sundsbø helms The Cal’s latest exploration: the natural elements.
Sundsbø sought to capture his all-women cast, which also includes Grammy-nominated FKA Twigs, supermodel Eva Herzigová and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie, as the protagonists in their own natural environment. Landscapes by 19th century Romantics were particularly resonant for the Norwegian photographer, who was inspired by the suggestion of a divine unity between humanity and the natural world. But it ultimately boiled down to something much simpler; “in reality, it’s the freedom you can have by being outside and not being dependent on anyone except for yourself. It’s about how you react to the elements around you.” Sundsbø’s multimedia approach was vital in capturing this connection between subject and element. The use of enormous three-dimensional LED screens eliminated the need to shoot on location, allowing him to “abstract and subvert” the natural world before him. Sundsbø recalls preparatory shoots in Norfolk and Essex. “We went out and shot timelapses of clouds, fire and fields and then brought all of those elements with us into the studio. We made it ours, in a way.” By combining the use of digital backdrops and constructed studio sets, Sundsbø reconfigured the cast’s ability to interact with the natural world and their own individual ‘element’.
“It’s a little bit of a dance,” says Sundsbø, reflecting on how he captures the power and sensuality of the accomplished women he has shot for The Cal 2026. “You take a picture; you show it to them. They suggest something; I suggest something. You go back in and see it again – it’s a dance.” The representation of women in The Cal, unlike in decades past, is no longer limited to seductive poses and the product placement of Italian tyres. For Sundsbø, the strength and sensuality of his cast is expressed through their own connection with the individual element that they inhabit in the shoot. “You don’t tell Tilda Swinton what to do,” he says. Just as the calendar explores the dialogue between nature and human emotion, Sundsbø encouraged his cast to respond instinctively to their surroundings on set. “For example, I spoke to [FKA] Twigs, and she said, ‘I don’t want to do that’. The conversation was as brutal as that,” he recalls. “We ended up with things that I suggested to her that she reacted to by saying, ‘that’s perfect because I want it to be warm; I want it to be earthy.’”
Sundsbø’s work on The Cal 2026 now exists as part of a legacy shaped by icons, and one which still persists despite the dominance of algorithms and short-form content today. “It’s a physical object,” says Sundsbø, “that is what makes this whole thing so unusual. That’s what makes this special.” In an age where art is flicked past in seconds, The Cal stands as a cultural capsule that demands to be held and revisited. “If you work for a magazine now, the whole world sees the pictures online before they even see the magazine itself,” says Sundsbø. “It’s almost like a byproduct. But here, they’re printing 11,000 things that weigh three and a half kilos and cost an absolute fortune to make.” For Sundsbø, it’s the calendars material presence that holds the most value today.
Finally, I asked Sundsbø what the THREAD through his own career has been. “It’s a mentality: curiosity, I would say” replied Sundsbø. “Funnily enough, I first started taking pictures for a student magazine in Oslo. That’s where I started.”
The 52nd edition of The Cal launched in Prague last November.
