This photographer captures serenity and symmetry in socialist-era swimming pools

Slovakian photographer Maria Svarbova has garnered international acclaim for her distinctive style and innovative approach to photography. Despite her background in restoration and archaeology, Svarbova has carved a unique niche that is very different from traditional portraiture.

Svarbova’s work is characterized by experimentation with space, colour, and atmosphere, often transforming mundane public spaces into dream-like scenes that evoke a sense of serenity and contemplation.

Swimming Pools

Svarbova began her series “Swimming Pools” in 2014 when a friend suggested she visit an 80-year-old pool in her hometown of Zlaté Moravce. This pool had been closed for over a decade and was a relic of the socialist-era architecture prevalent in Slovakia between 1920 and 1970. When she discovered the pool, Svarbova was captivated by its pristine condition and the timelessness of its functionalist design.

Her fascination with these swimming pools, built during a period when Slovakia was part of the former Czechoslovakia under communist rule, led her to photograph 13 pools across 13 Slovakian cities. These spaces, characterized by stark colours, repetitive lines, and spaciousness, provided the perfect backdrop for her artistic vision. “I prefer swimming pools that are old and without reconstruction. I can see a timelessness,” she explains to CNN.

A futuristic blend of old and new

Svarbova’s work often blends the old with the new, creating a surreal and futuristic look. She dresses models in primary-coloured swimsuits and poses them in angular positions inspired by mass gymnastic events organized by the communist government called Spartakiads. In post-production, she duplicates and composites bodies, enhances colours and erases asymmetrical elements, resulting in images that are both serene and unnervingly perfect.

“For me, it’s sci-fi, it’s futuristic,” Svarbova says. “I like to combine in my work old things – for example, [buildings] from the [communist] era – with modern things. I would like to show people something new, where there is old and new with each other.” Her photographs create an imaginary world that invites viewers to see the other side of normal life, one that is simultaneously familiar and otherworldly.

You can see more of Svarbova’s work on her website, on Behance, or follow her on Instagram. You can buy her photo book “Swimming Pools” here.

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