Swizzles and Twizzles follows Natalia as she embodies a fictional character desperately pursuing its dream of becoming a famous figure skater. Through a blend of original images and found footage, she transitions between the roles of photographer, performer, and researcher, blurring the boundaries between these identities. At first glance, the project presents an array of haunting, almost delusional narratives, as the character struggles to fit into an idealized mold. Symbolically, the work explores the fear of transience, weaving themes of fame fetishization and obsession with youth into the storyline, while also researching photography as a potential vessel for immortality.
The project began with Natalia’s personal fascination with figure skating. She obsessively researched the sport and documented skaters at the Antarctica Ice Rink in Antwerp. During her research, she realized that achieving her dream of becoming a professional figure skater would be nearly impossible due to her age. In 2024, it was announced that the rink would be permanently closed and demolished.
This project has been selected for ‘Archipel’ 2025. It was shown in a groupshow at Photo Art Centre Contretype in Brussels.
Natalia Majchrzak 