Elska Chicago, the sixtieth edition of the Elska series, is out now.
The internationally acclaimed project documents LGBTQ+ communities worldwide through intimate photography and personal storytelling. Long requested by readers, Chicago finally takes centre stage, portrayed through a cross-section of its queer men in candid photographs and honest first-person accounts.
“Chicago is one of those cities that readers have been asking us to feature since we launched Elska in 2015, but I’d been avoiding it for personal reasons,” says Elska founder Liam Campbell. “This is a city I lived in as a child, and I didn’t feel ready to face some of the bad memories of that time. But when it came time to plan the sixtieth issue, which really felt like a landmark number, I knew I had to do something special. It was time to face my fears and let the men I met tell the city’s story.”
“Things did not start out well — just being back in the city made me feel low — but after each photoshoot, I began to see Chicago differently,” continues Liam. “While I share my own story in the book, I gave most space to the men themselves. Reading Mark M’s account of finally finding community here, or Noe’s story of resilience in the face of attacks on the Latinx community, reminded me that a city isn’t defined by one person’s memories. Everyone I met spoke with such affection about Chicago that my own feelings began to change. Personally, this may be the most meaningful Elska issue I’ve made, but I think it’ll resonate with anyone who’s ever searched for a place to belong.”
Elska Chicago is divided into ten chapters, each dedicated to one of the men encountered there. That chapter contains a personal story as well as a selection of photographs. These photographs combine candid street scenes with more intimate portraits made in the men’s homes, revealing each subject in an honest and unguarded way. Various snapshots of the city surrounding them are also here, documenting a specific moment in history when Chicagoans have been required to band together more than ever before.
Elska Chicago – available now from the Elska website or Q Magazine Shop.
What did you think?