30+ Pics of the Gay and Bisexual Men of Elska Almaty

Elska, the project dedicated to sharing the bodies and voices of LGBTQ+ communities around the world, has put the spotlight on Almaty, Kazakhstan for its latest edition. Inside the beautiful new print bookazine Elska Almaty and its companion zine Elska Ekstra Almaty, readers can get up close with a cross-section of ordinary gay men through a combination of intimate photography and personal stories.

“Over the past several years we’ve endeavored to shine a light on LGBTQ communities all over the world, and the way we’ve tried to achieve this is by ensuring a diversity of geography through the cities we choose to spotlight,” says Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell. “One day I was glancing at a map and realized that even after forty-one editions so far we still had this massive gap in Central Asia. I instantly had to remedy this, so I did a consultation of potential cities in the region, and after speaking to some passionate locals who talked of Almaty as the region’s bourgeoning queer beacon, the decision was made.”

“I didn’t know what to expect from the experience,” adds Liam. “All I really knew about Kazakhstan came from the history of the Soviet Union (now over thirty years behind us), or from Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat' (which offers no genuine insight into Kazakhstan whatsoever), and I had no clue about the country’s gay experience. Such a lack of knowledge only served to fuel my interest though, so I flew to the country’s largest city Almaty in February, met and photographed a bunch of local guys, and discovered Kazakhstan and queer life there through them.”

Meet the men of Elska Almaty

Thirteen local gay residents are introduced in Elska Almaty and Elska Ekstra Almaty. Each has been photographed in the streets of their city and dressed in their own style, and at home with less clothes (or sometimes entirely without clothes) – with the goal of inviting readers to get to know them at their most open. Each also contributed a personal story, written in either Kazakh or Russian (followed by English translations) on any subject of their choosing, enabling an even closer connection. These texts touch upon a variety of topics, from stories of falling in love with a closeted celebrity, to chronicles of learning to not just live but flourish as an HIV-positive person, to tales of being a dedicated cat dad who can’t stop growing his feline family.

Elska Almaty is 196 pages and is available from a select group of shops around the world as well as for order online from the Elska website. In addition, a comparison zine called Elska Ekstra Almaty is available, including hundreds of pages of more photography and a full daily diary revealing the behind the scenes experience meeting and photographing these men. The list of stockists and details of the subscription service can also be found on the Elska website: www.elskamagazine.com.

Artur

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Artur

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Aski

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Aski

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Denis

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Denis

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Edward

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Edward

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Koyla

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Koyla

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Mikhail

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Mikhail

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Nan

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Nicholas

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Nicholas

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Nurzhan

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Nurzhan

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Roman

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Roman

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Samgat

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Samgat

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Sanzhar

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Sanzhar

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Zhasshulan

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

Zhassulan

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com

All photos by Liam Campbell and Elska Magazine. You can learn more at www.elskamagazine.com