In the latest issue of Elska magazine, queer men of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, share their stories in a blend of intimate photography and personal storytelling.
A project dedicated to sharing the bodies and voices of GBTQ+ communities worldwide, Elska flew to the Moldovan capital for its 52nd issue to explore the city and its men through a gay lens. Queer men were invited to take part in a photoshoot in the streets of Chisinau, as well as in their own homes.
The intimate images are accompanied by a narrative formed from extensive diaries taken by Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell during the trip to Moldova, which include details of conversations and time spent with several locals.
Speaking about the edition, Campbell said: “I have toyed with the idea of taking my project to Moldova for many years, but I always assumed it wouldn’t work. I worried that the city might be too small, too conservative and too closeted to be able to find subjects willing to do a photoshoot and story for me.
“But then I realised that my assumptions were based on stereotypes of this country as backwards, part of a trend to focus on Moldova as the ‘poorest country in Europe’. I decided to give it a go and see the place for myself.”
“I found Chisinau to be a truly lovely city and its LGBTQ+ community was feeling a buoyant buzz from a recent Pride event, one that went by peacefully and with the highest attendance on record,” the Elska editor continued. “However, during my discussions with individual local men, I discovered a cleavage within the community that followed the lines of the city’s demographic split between people of Romanian and Russian heritages.”
“Gay spaces seemed geared towards one group or the other, creating separation and sometimes resentment. Political and social topics came up almost constantly when meeting our local subjects, making this one of our most political issues… though still with a lot of sexy, naked men!”
Elska Chisinau is available both in print format and in a downloadable e-version at www.elskamagazine.com. In addition, the issue is accompanied by the Elska Ekstra Chisinau companion zine, containing two more men and their stories, plus hundreds of additional images.
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