Tender shots of young, US men on the cusp of adulthood
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Amit Elkayam
Last year, having just moved to New York, Israeli photographer Amit Elkayam stumbled upon a “beautiful park” hidden away in his new neighbourhood.
Despite its bustling, concrete surroundings, the space was tranquil. There was something about its serenity – the warm colour combinations, the sense of freedom – that immediately fascinated him.
It was there, as he watched people of different ages and backgrounds coming together to hang out and play, that he decided on his new long-term project: a series of photographs, depicting the different behaviours of young, American men on the cusp of adulthood.
Focusing on the behaviours of adolescents grappling with the early conditions and expectations masculinity, Elkayam’s work – titled Two Blocks Away From Sun – meets its subjects at the beginning of their own personal journey into manhood.
“I was always curious about the way different men express and define their masculinity within a specific organization or social group,” he says.
“I believe the range of characteristics we define as ‘masculine’ are much broader than we think they are, and I try using photography in order to discover more of them.”
Though shot almost entirely in and around New York City, the fragility depicted in Two Blocks Away From Sun is one that is universal in young boys across the world.
For Amit – who grew up in a small village in the north of Israel – the project was about satisfying a curiosity that has always existed in regards to how boyhood presents and expresses itself, before it disappears.
“[Adolescence] is the first time where we take inspiration and values from other people and inherent them in ourselves. Everything that happens in our childhood will shape who we are as grown-ups whether we like it or not.”
“I think there is something purely honest about adolescence that later in life can’t be repeated in the same authenticity, and that’s what makes this period so tremendously important.”
See more of Amit Elkayam’s work on his official website.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Inside Kashmir’s growing youth tattoo movement
Catharsis in ink — Despite being forbidden under Islam, a wave of tattoo shops are springing up in India-administered Kashmir. Saqib Mugloo spoke to those on both ends of the needle.
Written by: Saqib Mugloo
The forgotten women’s football film banned in Brazil
Onda Nova — With cross-dressing footballers, lesbian sex and the dawn of women’s football, the cult movie was first released in 1983, before being censored by the country’s military dictatorship. Now restored and re-released, it’s being shown in London at this year’s BFI Flare film festival.
Written by: Jake Hall
In the dressing room with the 20th century’s greatest musicians
Backstage 1977-2000 — As a photographer for NME, David Corio spent two decades lounging behind the scenes with the world’s biggest music stars. A new photobook revisits his archive of candid portraits.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In Queens, local surfers are moulding a neighbourhood in their own renegade images
Rockaway breaks — On a little-known stretch of beach in eastern New York City, an ecosystem of wave catchers, and the local bars and restaurants that fuel them, is seeing a boom. Paolo Bicchieri meets the residents and business owners behind the growing swell.
Written by: Paolo Bicchieri
Kneecap describe atrocities in Gaza as “medieval type slaughter” after breaking of ceasefire
Saoirse Don Phalaistín — The Irish rap trio took to X yesterday to criticise the “US-backed” Israeli authorities.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Capturing joy and resilience in Istanbul through tumultuous times
Flowers in Concrete — As protests break out across Istanbul, photographer Sıla Yalazan reflects on the 2013 Gezi Park movement, and capturing beauty as the city has undergone economic change and political tension.
Written by: Isaac Muk