Maria Svarbova - Photographs London Friday, May 19, 2023 | Phillips

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  • ‘‘My photos are minimalistic but also futuristic.’’
    —Maria Svarbova 
    In 2020, Slovakian artist Maria Svarbova (b.1988) was invited by the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava to photograph the city’s historic Grössling City Bath, creating a series of enticing images that revitalise a space which has been closed to the public since 1994. The classical nature of this location, originally built in 1885, marks a stylistic departure from her previous aquatic-themed works, which are set against more modern backdrops. ‘I personally look for more modern architecture for my projects, mainly functionalism and brutalism,’ the artist notes. ‘Taking pictures in the Grössling bath was definitely a challenge for me, but after the tour I saw that the bath has great potential.’  

     

    In this perfectly symmetrical composition, the costumed figure is duplicated at regular intervals under the imposing arches of the Grössling City Bath. Intensified by the blue tiled-floor of the empty pool, this work exemplifies her socialist-era aesthetic. The artist has received much critical acclaim, including the Hasselblad Master award in 2018, and has been listed as one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in 2017. Svarbova has exhibited internationally and her photographs of the Grössling City Bath are currently featured in her solo exhibition Remote Control at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia. 

     

    Maria Svarbova on set, Grössling City Bath, Bratislava.
    • Exhibited

      Maria Svarbova: Futuro Retro, Seoul Arts Center, 6 December 2022 - 26 February 2023, another
      Remote Control, Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava, 25 March - 4 June 2023, another

    • Literature

      M. Svarbova, Svarbova: Swimming Pools, Malmö: New Heroes & Pioneers, 2021, p. 213

ULTIMATE

15

Grössling City Bath

2020
Archival pigment print, mounted.
Image/Sheet: 140 x 115 cm (55 1/8 x 45 1/4 in.)
Frame: 144 x 119 cm (56 3/4 x 46 7/8 in.)

Signed and numbered 10/10 in ink on the recto; signed, titled, dated and numbered 10/10 in ink on a Certificate of Authenticity accompanying the work.

This work is number 10 from the sold-out edition of 10 (no AP). This image is sold out in all sizes and editions.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£12,000 - 18,000 

Sold for £38,100

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Photographs

London Auction 19 May 2023