Elska, the independent magazine exploring the lives of queer men through intimate photography and personal stories, returns to Italy with its latest edition, Elska Milan. 

The project is known for photographing participants who aren’t professional models, inviting them to share their lives, homes and streets through intimate images, including nude photos.

Milan is famous for its fashion, but Elska asks what the city is like through the eyes of the locals. It looks past the sophisticated designer fashion world and the facade that accompanies it, instead hearing from the men who actually live there.

Elska Milan is the 61st edition of the independent queer photography and culture publication. Continuing its signature approach, the project looks past the image of a place and towards the local people.

“Milan has such a particular reputation,” says Elska Editor and Chief Photographer Liam Campbell. “It’s a city that the world associates with beauty, elegance and fashion. We became interested in what would happen if we approached it from the opposite direction – not looking for the most stylish or glamorous men, but simply for people willing to let us into their lives.”

This marks the publication’s second full collaboration, with Campbell working alongside Milan-based photographer Mauro Padula. The work was split between the two artists, with each conducting half of the shoots and contributing some of the stories. This has created a complementary blend of perspectives and styles, one from an outsider and the other from a local.

The edition introduces readers to Dano, Berry, Sergio, Davide, Squalo, Federico, Alessandro, and Simone. None of these men are professional models, and some had never stepped in front of a camera before, especially not with their clothes off. However, this sense of vulnerability is central to Elska. Every subject is also accompanied by a personal story, with texts written by Campbell, Padula and the men themselves. 

The combination of photographs and stories gives a close personal look at everyday queer life in contemporary Milan.

“There’s something particularly fascinating about photographing people in a city so associated with appearance,” Campbell comments. “Fashion is about curating an image of yourself, but I’ve always been more interested in what happens when people let that image drop away.”

Elska Milan and its companion zine Ekstra Milan can be purchased from the Elska website.