Elska celebrates six years of creating intimate, diverse art across the globe!

Elska Magazine is celebrating six years of creating intimate and heartfelt photos of men all over the world!

According to The Advocate, over 33 issues of Elska have been published, and this year Elska is celebrating six years of showcasing men around the globe! 

Each issue of Elska has focused on queer men in a different world city. Some are well-known queer havens, such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and Sydney. Others are lesser-celebrated, less progressive or misunderstood places like Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Warsaw (Poland), Dhaka (Bangladesh), or Belfast (Northern Ireland). 

In each city, the Elska team meets the local men, photographs them, and gathers some intimate stories from them. The aim is to depict the LGBTQ experience and show that queer people exist everywhere — even the places where ohers feel they should be uncomfortable. Even though the challenges faced in these communities vary, we all essentially want the same thing — to love, to be seen, and to be free. 

Diversity is evidently important in Elska, as each issue includes over a dozen local men from different ages, races, body types, and orientations. Every man is photographed with the point of view that they are beautiful and uniquely individual — regardless of how conventional or unconventional their beauty may be. Diversity is a sincere passion in Elska, and that’s what separates it from many other body projects. 

“When I started Elska, all I really was trying to do was to combine two of my favourite hobbies — travel and photography — into a job” says Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell. 

“I just grabbed my camera, hopped on a plane, and tried to find some local guys to shoot while hanging out in their city for a few days. Everyone I met I found interesting and gorgeous, but then after I published the results in what became the first issue, Elska Lviv (Ukraine), I learned that others didn’t share my perspective. Some said that the men I featured were boring, not special or even ugly! I tried to console myself by seeing their complaints as based on being conditioned by mainstream media, which has tended to focus on models and celebrities, but soon enough I was consoled by letters and messages from other readers who did share my vision, people who said that they could see themselves in Elska, and that because I reveal those men’s beauty it helps them see the beauty in themselves as well. Despite those few early haters, there’s been enough love to keep Elska going for six years, and there’s no end in sight yet.”

The pandemic has obviously, in many ways, made travel difficult to certain parts of the world, but the team is keeping it moving! There are already future issues planned, including one in the American South and the publication’s second African city! 

Elska’s printed art book is sold in select shops around the world and is also available for order online. A downloadable e-version is also available, along with a range of companion zines called Elska Ekstra, which include extras and behind-the-scenes content. 

Find out more on the Elska website at elskamagazine.com.

All photos courtesy of Elska Magazine.