Born in Czechoslovakia, Kiss fell in love with Budapest and has lived there since 2003. No wonder his first photo book is both a tribute to the city where Kiss found his artistic voice and to the beautiful boys who inhabit it: Some ripped (Aron, Marci and Playgirl Man for September 2023 Dominik), some skinnier (‘twinks’ Arnold and Archie), some toned (Ricky, Greg, Tommy and cover boy Bence).
Different body types, one ideal of beauty: youth. Different settings, all awash with light —outdoor for Archie, indoor for everyone else. Gay fans will recognize a few porn stars, Kian, Ritchie, Elio, made world-famous by BelAmi studio, where Kiss has worked for over two decades. But here his aesthetic and the approach to the male nude is different: “Instead of explicit eroticism,” writes Arpad Vegh in his foreword, “Attila creates a seductive, sensual atmosphere —with an authenticity that perhaps can only arise in this form through the perspective of a gay photographer.”
‘Boys from Budapest’ by Attila Kiss • Published by Salzgeber.
“A glance through the images reveals the artist’s unmistakable style,” continues Vegh, “his stylistic fingerprint that defines and makes his current work unique.” Let’s take a closer look. Natural lighting, sensually caressing the naked body: There are no low-key portraits in Kiss’ work, no harsh shadows, no dramatic contrast. Authentic settings: Kiss doesn’t shoot in a studio, he doesn’t pose his models against a backdrop. He captures them in their environment —lying on the couch, stretching in bed, taking a shower, staring out the window. Finally, the thirteen boys he picked for the book and the youth it celebrates: “Stay gold, Ponyboy.”
Boys from Budapest is published by Salzgeber and available at all fine bookstores.
