Despite studying restoration and archeology, Maria Svarbova found a medium for her artistic expression in photography. Since 2010, she has focused on developing her own photographic language, quickly gaining international recognition. Amongst awards, solo and group exhibitions, her work has been featured in Vogue, Guardian, Instagram, Forbes and many other publications.
The “in the Swimming Pool” is Maria’s largest and continuing series. Sparked by a hunt for interesting location in Slovakia, her fascination with the space of public swimming pools contributed to developing her visual style. Sterile, geometric beauty of old pools, usually built in the Socialist Era, set the tone for these photographs. There is almost a theatrical quality to the highly controlled sceneries that Maria captures.
1- When did you decide to pursue art/illustration as a career? I started to photograph 6 years ago and gradually as time goes by my work was better and better. I paid a lot for photographing. Craze has become my job. At that time I was still a student of archeology, not a professional photographer. In high school I did a lot of restoration and I painted. At the time I wanted to be a painter. After this period, I needed a creative break. I was always close to the history and the past, it fascinated me. That's why I signed up for archeology. It was hard school. In the meantime I started with photography as a hobby.
2- What are your goals as an artist? I would like to show people something new, something what they didn´t see before. It´s hard but I´m trying. People should see new things.
3- What's your favourite place to developed your ideas? I have to say I prefer for a shoot pure lines, large open spaces where there is a lot of daylight. Swimming pool has this all. There are many options for me and my photos. Very interesting is water and water´s reflection. It's a mirror for people and their souls.
I visited maybe 11 pools in Slovakia and I have taken more than 100 final photos from them. All pools are similar but different each others. One pool from these 11 pools was not working. I don´t have a favorite swimming pool , because all pools are very good for my shooting. Next details of my swimming pool you can find in my absolutly new own book called SWIMMING POOL. This book will be about a few months. The publisher is The New Heroes and Pioneers from Sweden.
4- Where in the world is your favourite place to see art? Everywhere.
5- What exhibit, that you have seen within the last year, has most influenced you? Definitely it was exhibition in Moma gallery (NYC). Called: Is Fashion Modern? explores the present, past—and sometimes the future—of 111 items of clothing and accessories that have had a strong impact on the world in the 20th and 21st centuries—and continue to hold currency today. Among them are pieces as well-known and transformative as the Levi’s 501s, the Breton shirt, and the Little Black Dress, and as ancient and culturally charged as the sari, the pearl necklace, the kippah, and the keffiyeh. Items will also invite some designers, engineers, and manufacturers to respond to some of these indispensable items with pioneering materials, approaches, and techniques—extending this conversation into the near and distant futures, and connecting the history of these garments with their present recombination and use. Driven first and foremost by objects, not designers, the exhibition considers the many relationships between fashion and functionality, culture, aesthetics, politics, labor, identity, economy, and technology.
6- Do you collect anything? My old diaries only.
7- If you could choose anyone to see your work, who would he or she be? All people around the world.
8- What is the greatest compliment anyone has ever paid to you regarding your artwork? "Your work is inspiration"
9- In which walls would you like to see your work exposed in 10/20 years. Moma Gallery, NYC.
10. Last one, Who would you love to see answering this same questions? Erwin Olaf, he is the best for me.
