Elska #41 - Lviv, Ukraine

Our very first Elska was made in Ukraine, and after numerous requests to reprint it, we finally decided to make a return to the country that continues to deserve all of our attention. But this new edition of ‘Elska Lviv’ isn’t merely a reprint. Firstly we went into our archives and remade the issue from scratch, re-selecting and re-editing every image you’ll see here and adding new texts. Then we added brand new content, sharing with you the bodies and voices of four more Ukrainian men, photographed inside and outside Ukraine in this most tragic and tumultuous past year. Inside ‘Elska Lviv’ you’ll meet thirteen Ukrainian men, shot in their neighbourhoods and at home, dressed in their own style and sometimes not dressed at all. It’s an intimate, honest, and very spontaneous style of photography, meant to convey the feeling of spending some time with each of these men in person without posing or bias. You’ll also get to know these subjects further through stories contributed by some of them. Largely written in Ukrainian (and followed by English translations), you get a feel for these men’s genuine voices. We’ve then also added some behind the scenes stories to bring some new perspectives on our original Elska adventure and bringing context to life for Ukrainians following the start of the war with Russia (in 2014) and during this new most brutal phase (commencing in February 2022).