aēsplore x Element — First Look into a New South African Photographic Journal

This is a first look at Element, a new annual South African photographic journal, hosted in partnership with aēsplore at their Cape Town space.

Founded in Cape Town by journalist and photographer, Gunnar Oberhosel, Element is editorial-first and made in South Africa, working with local photographers, writers and scientists. The journal explores our relationship with nature through the four elements: water, earth, fire and air. It brings together photography, storytelling, design and conservation in a premium print object built to be held, revisited and passed on rather than scrolled.

During this event, visitors see an early draft copy of Issue One, Water, in the flesh, weeks before it goes on sale, alongside a wall of large-format prints from the kelp forest story: cold-water photography from Cape Town’s Great African Seaforest.

Gunnar Oberhosel will be in the space to talk through the making of the issue, the photographers behind it, and why print still matters.

Element Issue One officially launches in November 2026.

Open and free to attend.