There’s something alluring and even a little mysterious about ballet dancers, gymnasts and synchronized swimmers. They look picture perfect, moving around gracefully with their dazzling smiles and glossy hair. But this impeccability also throws up questions, like what’s going one behind those serene masks?
Photographer Emma Hartvig is especially interested in what’s hidden underneath this perfection. Her new series, in which a group of synchronized swimmers swirl around in a Hollywood pool, she explores the tension that arises when people have to be in control all of the time. “All my life I’ve been very interested in the idea of glamorous Hollywood stars or glamorous swimmers,” Emma says. “The whole Esther Williams thing. Or the Marilyn Monroe thing. You know this sad and tired look, but beautiful. I’m interested in bringing out that other side.”
