About

Maryna Syrovatka is a Ukraine-born photographer currently based in Slovakia. Her photography is rooted in storytelling, touching on significant social issues and reflecting contemporary realities.

After a career in law, she turned to photography in 2018. Since 2021, she has operated her studio in Bratislava, where she conducts the majority of her photoshoots. Maryna works with both analogue and digital formats, choosing the medium that best fits each project’s concept. 

Her introduction to analog filmmaking and darkroom techniques came from her parents, sparking a fascination with film that endures to this day.

Maryna’s photographic education is largely self-directed, supplemented by workshops with renowned artists such as Andreas Bitesnich, Jonas Bendiksen, Nadav Kander, and Steve McCurry.

Her work explores individuals at pivotal moments in their lives when they find themselves on the threshold between different realities. She captures moments of uncertainty and transition, conveying the fragility and strength of human nature through poetic imagery, and reflecting on the hidden.

Her projects have been published in Ukraine: Love+War (FotoEvidence, 2024) and Fresh Eyes (GUP Magazine, 2024). Her photographs have been exhibited in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Croatia, and across Slovakia.

Maryna Syrovatka’s work has been recognized with international awards, including Portraits – Hellerau Photography Award (2025, Finalist), Rovinj Photodays (2025, 1st Place Winner), PhMuseum Photography Grant (2025, Finalist).

Awards and Publications

2025  Rotterdam Photo’25, Single Image
2025  Rovinj Photodays, 1st Place
2025  PhMuseum Photography Grant, Finalist
2025  Portraits Hellerau Photography Award, Finalist
2024  FotoEvidence Book Award X Ukraine: Love+War
2024  1in6by2030 / contributing photographer
2024  ProfiFoto(s) @ Arles
2024  Fresh Eyes Talent X GUP Magazine
2023  Der Greif X Grisebach: “New Positions”
2022  Tokyo International Foto Awards / Silver Winner, Editorial – Photo Essay (Professional)
2021  Budapest International Foto Awards / Silver Winner, Editorial – Photo Essay (Professional)

Group and Solo Exhibitions

2026  Cutout Festival / Zaporizhzhia Contemporary Art Center / Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
2025  Cutout Festival / Kyiv National Art Gallery / Kyiv, Ukraine
2025  Technische Sammlungen Dresden / Hellerau Photography Award 2025, Echoes of Truth / Dresden, Germany
2025  Rotterdam Photo Exhibition / Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2025  MMC Multimedia Center / Finalists’ Exhibition / Rovinj, Croatia
2025  Photobook Café / “Love” / London, UK
2024  Haute Photographie x Fresh Eyes / Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Upcoming)
2024  Grisebach Auction House X Der Greif / Berlin, Germany
2024  La Grande Vitrine X Profifoto / “Beneath the Surface” / Rencontres Arles OFF, France
2022  Fjužn Festival / Project “Don’t Worry, I’m Fine” / Bratislava and other cities, Slovakia
2021  Solo / Project “Closed Workspaces: Facing the Unknown” / Bratislava and other cities, Slovakia