NIKOLAI VOELCKER

“I’m Nikolai from Zurich, but I have been based in London for some years now. The focus of my work changes a lot, but one recurring theme is the showcasing of beauty in men and male dynamics. Most stories are situated in the current realities of life in the UK, or wherever else I shoot. My work features highly composed and staged documentary scenes. I challenge everyday situations, creating moments that feel real but also surreal.

“My first shoot in this direction was with my mates in my hometown, Zurich. I wanted to show them and our surroundings in a way that hadn’t been done before. I wanted to highlight the hidden beauty of male friend groups, the tenderness of a random Sunday among friends… and make my friends look hot, haha.

“I don’t have many photographers as reference. I often create from topics that I want to cover in the moment, then use photography more or less as a vehicle to tell those stories.”

SANDY CLIFF

“My name is Yul’a and I work as a floral designer, but I like to say that I arrange flowers into feelings. The beauty of flowers is so temporary. You mostly have just a few days to observe them before they fade. But that's exactly what makes them special to me. It's about appreciating and noticing the beauty of the moment.

“I also love the process of interpreting feelings – like losing your head before meeting your crush, the excitement before your first exhibition as a photographer, the mourning of a loss, or any other feelings we experience from time to time – and attempting to translate them into floral compositions.

“Before flowers, I worked as a web designer. It changed in February 2022, after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. I remember thinking that if a rocket hit my house, I didn’t want to spend my last moments in front of a computer screen. I wanted to create something I could touch and feel; something that could help me cope with fear and remind both myself and others of the beauty that still exists. At the same time, flowers teach me how to let go. Even if it’s the most beautiful flower I’ve ever seen, it can’t stay with me forever. The same goes for people.

“I believe that life is about the process, and there’s never a perfect formula for reaching what someone else has achieved. The only thing you can do is stay curious, keep experimenting, and build your own path. Try things out.

“I’m still in the middle of looking for my creative scene and people who are passionate about something. I enjoy collaborating across different disciplines because I find the most interesting ideas often emerge when different creative worlds overlap. The best place to check my upcoming works is on my Instagram here."

GRIT MAGAZINE

“I’m Charlotte Pang, a London-based creative director and the founder of GRIT Magazine. Growing up between Hong Kong and California, and then moving to the UK, shaped my interest in how communities form identity through culture, which drives my work across fashion, image-making and print. When it comes to my creative approach, I adore pushing different visual aesthetics to their limits to see what emerges.

“GRIT Magazine explores queer perspectives and subcultural topics through fashion and textiles. It highlights queer history and contemporary culture while creating a space for emerging creatives to express themselves.

“When I first started the magazine, it didn’t even have a name; it grew out of a small queer photo series I created. This, alongside my fascination with fashion, led me down a frighteningly in-depth research rabbit hole, exploring why certain communities favour specific textiles. After talking about this with whoever would listen, I found that others shared the same curiosity about this idea. Over time, I brought together a team of emerging creatives to create our first issue, LEATHER. Since launching, GRIT has brought together creatives through editorial work and events, with issue 02: DENIM currently underway.

“If I could give any advice to those founding their own magazine, I’d say talk about it as much as possible, and don’t shy away from what you love because there are always others who believe in the same mission. Our upcoming event, Salon des Refusés, powered by Jubel, features a fashion installation with emerging designer MEDMO. Over the course of the night, we aim to explore the 19th-century rebellion against the original French Salons. So, if you’re free on August 16th, come by and say hey! And you can buy GRIT here.”

ANGIE

“Hi, my name is Angie. I shoot and stage images. This series of images relates to queerness, desire and surrender, particularly influenced by my experience growing up confused. The title Lavender and Rust was inspired by the subject of my images, whose mannerisms and interests I found to be delightfully polarising. The images consist of staged and upstaged, bouncing between my ideas of Greek myths, Renaissance paintings and visions of colour. Between nudity, I also included landscapes and subjects that felt appropriate. This series of images relates to my experience growing up confused and distraught about my surroundings and my physical body. They were also among the first images I ever took, becoming a catalyst to my growing interest in photography.

“Some of my most enduring influences are Peter Greenaway, Rococo still-lifes, and the textures of skin in Gustav Klimt’s paintings. The visuals I am inspired by are the fantasy books and cartoons I’d watch as a child, as well as my attraction to rich 20th-century European interiors and colourful Rococo still-lifes.

“I have images made with Charlie Le Mindu coming out soon, documenting his two human hair collections! I am also planning on releasing a photobook in the next few months.”