Bodies of Water was born out of my frustration with idealisation of thin bodies and the perpetuation of societal stigmas surrounding people living in larger bodies. The continuing lack of visual representation results in insidious messaging that if you’re a certain type of body, you shouldn’t be seen on a beach or at a pool, that you’re unhealthy, or that you don’t like to keep active at all.

To challenge these harmful narratives, I connected with and photographed fat and plus-sized swimmers to celebrate the joy that being in the open water brings to them, to tell their stories, and to offer new perspectives on body diversity in outdoor spaces.

Antonina Mamzenko is a British photographer and multidisciplinary artist. Her work is focused on documentation of the lived human experience, exploring the themes of identity and belonging; trauma and recovery; and the human connection with nature.

Her work has received numerous accolades, including 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, and has been shortlisted for The Portrait of Britain award in 2021 and 2019. It has also appeared in a number of national and international publications, and has been exhibited nationally and internationally.