Today marks the release of the fifty-first issue of Elska, a project dedicated to exploring the world through a gay lens. This latest edition focuses on Buenos Aires, the iconic Argentinian capital. Inside, readers can follow the Elska team’s nine day journey to the city through a combination of personal storytelling and intimate photography of a range of ordinary local gay and queer men.
“I have wanted to visit Buenos Aires for years,” says Elska editor, writer and chief photographer Liam Campbell. “but I just kept putting it off, probably due to the distance and high cost of flights, and maybe some political instability. However, last year we ran a vote amongst our annual subscribers to choose any city in the world where they’d like to see us make a future Elska, and Buenos Aires won. I had no excuse any longer, so I finally went.”
“I immediately understood why so many people wanted us to feature Buenos Aires,” continues Liam. “It’s a truly wonderful place, absolutely in my top ten cities in the world, but the men there were the real highlight. They were gorgeous, easy-going, and incredibly warm. It is this warmth that because the theme for this book, especially in the text — how much warmth they gave, and how I struggled in my Britishness to give them the warmth they deserved in return. I suppose they say that Latin men are hot-blooded, and I can now say that it’s pretty true!”
Elska Buenos Aires combines male portraiture and travel writing. The photography includes images of around a dozen Porteño men who were shot in the city’s streets and at home, dressed in their own style and very often nude, with an honest style that honours real, diverse beauty. The accompanying narrative is based on extensive diaries kept after meeting each Buenos Aires subject, bringing readers even closer to these men and their city.
Elska Buenos Aires is available in a collectible print format or in a downloadable e-version. In addition, the companion e-zine Elska Ekstra Buenos Aires is available, containing two more men and their stories, plus many hundreds of outtake images of each Porteño subject. Both are available for order online as well as from a select group of shops around the world. The list of stockists and details of the subscription service can also be found on the Elska website: www.elskamagazine.com.
