In an era where filters dominate feeds and abs are often carved by Photoshop, photographer Phil Dlab is choosing something a little messier — and a lot more honest. His ongoing series “Nothing to Hide” brings Slovakian men out of their clothes and into the soft, unfiltered light of authenticity. No Instagram-perfect pecs here — just raw, imperfect bodies, the kind you might bump into on a tram, in a coffee shop, or on a ski slope.
Dlab didn’t always live in the world of exposed skin and emotional vulnerability. Before becoming a full-time film photographer, he was tucked behind the scenes of Canadian political television. Yes, you read that right — C-SPAN Canada. But the static shots of podiums and debates couldn’t contain his creative eye. He longed to compose, not just capture. So in 2018, after a reflective ski trip and a push from a friend, he picked up a camera with purpose, founding Bodytorium the following year — a space for photographing men not as curated content, but as vulnerable beings.
What makes Dlab’s work stand out isn’t just the nudity, but the spirit behind it. His models aren’t influencers or adult performers. They’re everyday men — often camera-shy, rarely sculpted — who’ve been coaxed into revealing not just skin, but soul. “Shedding clothes,” Dlab says, “is really about shedding the mask of society.” That concept is embodied in “Nothing to Hide,” a growing collection that has already spawned three books, with a fourth and fifth in the works.
Nudity Without Narcissism
In Dlab’s lens, nudity isn’t a performance — it’s a dialogue. There’s no preening or pouting. Instead, there are giggles in the rain, piggyback rides through Slovak forests, and the kind of tenderness usually reserved for long-time lovers or childhood friends. “To me,” he says, “these images capture the impossible made possible.” The photos feel like secrets passed between friends, not provocations.
This matters deeply to queer audiences, especially gay men, who have long been fed impossible standards of masculinity and body image. By photographing “average” guys — some soft, some hairy, some shy — Dlab is carving space for bodies that have often been sidelined. It’s a refreshing antidote to the toxic aesthetic that dominates so much of queer media. His work reminds us that queer beauty isn’t just found in the gym mirror — it’s also in the laugh lines, in the belly rolls, in the vulnerability of simply showing up as you are.
From Bratislava With Love
Born in Bratislava and raised in Ottawa, Dlab carries the sensibility of someone who has always existed between worlds — geographic, cultural, and emotional. His portraits reflect that liminality, hovering between eroticism and empathy. And while many artists preach connection, Dlab lives it: his shoots are built on trust, his subjects disarmed by his sincerity. He doesn’t just take their photos — he listens to their stories.
Now, with plans to take “Nothing to Hide” beyond Slovakia and into the rest of Europe, Dlab is becoming a quiet icon in queer art circles. His work is proof that the most radical thing you can do sometimes is just be real — fully, unapologetically, and maybe even a little naked.
For queer people around the world, Dlab’s lens offers something vital: a mirror that doesn’t distort, shame, or sell. Just one that says, “You’re enough.” And that, darling, is a work of art.