Photographer Jan Mach (Šmahel) delicately enters worlds on the fringes of mainstream perception—among young anime and cosplay fans, LGBT+ people, those searching for their own identity, drug users, and private nudist communities. In his photographs, he captures physicality, vulnerability, intimacy, emotions, and dark humor.

“All our lives, we’re all searching for our comfort zone. Sometimes we consciously cross it back and forth. Other times, on the contrary, we just pretend to be very anxious and don’t want to be exposed. I think feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty are particularly relevant today. And so I’ve tried to express that elusive line between the mundane and the dramatic through photography, often from unusual settings,” explains photographer and publicist Šmahel.