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  "description": "Elska Pristina, the 56th book in the Elska series, a project about showcasing diverse LGBTQ+ communities around the world, is out now. This latest issue follows the journey of two photographers - Liam Campbell and Philip Mowbray - as they explore Kosovo and the southern Balkans, particularly through its LGBTQ+ community, using honest photography and personal storytelling.\n\n“After ten and a half years of making Elska is cities all over the world, I realised that we had a big gap in the Balkans; w",
  "path": "/elska-explores-local-men-of-kosovo-and-the-southern-balkans/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-05T13:29:12.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.scenemag.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "available for order online",
    "on the __Elska__ website"
  ],
  "textContent": "_**Elska Pristina**_ , the 56th book in the _Elska_ series, a project about showcasing diverse LGBTQ+ communities around the world, is out now. This latest issue follows the journey of two photographers - **Liam Campbell** and **Philip Mowbray** - as they explore **Kosovo** and the southern Balkans, particularly through its LGBTQ+ community, using honest photography and personal storytelling.\n\n“After ten and a half years of making _Elska_ is cities all over the world, I realised that we had a big gap in the Balkans; we decided to fill that with Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, Europe’s youngest country,” says _Elska_ editor and chief photographer**Liam Campbell**. “This is a fascinating place, so I knew we needed to do it justice by bringing in a second artist to collaborate.\n\n\"That’s Glasgow-based photographer Philip Mowbray, whose excellence in environmental photography adds a special touch to the issue, complementing Liam Campbell’s portraiture, particularly male nude photography.\"\n\n“Beyond the collaboration, which is the first of its kind in _Elska_ history, there are other unique aspects to this issue,” continues Liam. “First, _Elska Pristina_ is the first in our series to have a multi-city arc, following the journey to Pristina with sojourns in Skopje, North Macedonia and Thessaloniki, Greece.\n\n\"Second, the storytelling is shared by four different authors — Liam Campbell, Philip Mowbray, **Haki Haliti** and Macedonian poet **Aleksandar Kochovski**. Third, this is the first issue to feature analogue film work, providing a rough and real aesthetic that perfectly suits Balkan cityscapes.”\n\nInside _Elska Pristina_ , readers are introduced to nine men from the LGBTQ+ community. Each has their own chapter containing a photoshoot of them in their city streets and in their homes, dressed in their own style as well as undressed. Their chapters also include a story, allowing readers to get to know them at an even deeper level. The result is a most authentic and revealing showcase of ordinary gay men from this under-visited part of the world.\n\n_Elska Pristina_ is available in a collectible print book or in a downloadable e-book. In addition, the companion e-zine _Ekstra Pristina_ is available, containing hundreds of outtake images and assorted behind the scenes vignettes. And while supplies last, a collection of ten A5 prints of the team’s favourite images from the issue, titled ‘Photo Print Set 56' has been produced.\n\n💡\n\nAll are available for order online as well as from a select group of shops around the world. Ordering information and details of the subscription service can be found on the __Elska__ website.",
  "title": "Elska explores local men of Kosovo and the Southern Balkans",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-05T13:29:12.000Z"
}