For years, underground arts collective Lotion Magazine was a magazine in name alone. But with the launch of its first publication on Thursday evening, the organization has finally delivered on its promise of print.
“There was this kind of running joke in the community that Lotion Magazine [was] never going to come out with a magazine,” co-editor-in-chief Biba Esaad told TorontoToday. “That’s kind of our best feature, is that you don't know what to expect.”
Lotion Magazine is a household name in the Toronto nightlife scene, known for throwing underground raves that cater to creatives in the queer, Black and African diasporic communities.
The collective began in 2017 but really started to take off in 2022, Esaad said. Their parties usually have a specific theme or vision — sometimes even an accompanying style guide — and attendees aren’t shy about committing.
Lotion Magazine’s first print issue is technically themeless, Essad said, but it also serves as an archive of the weird and wonderful fashion found on its dance floors.
“It’s a retrospective,” Esaad said, “A kind of love letter to our community.”
The magazine begins with photography from its 2023 Lotionland rave, where revelers were asked to attend in “Anything But Clothes,” and also features a number of editorial photoshoots and interviews with artists.
Selected works from the magazine lined the walls of It’s OK* Studios Thursday night as Lotion Magazine celebrated its first edition. The publication retails for $65. It sold out early in the night and is now on pre-order.
The event kicked off with a panel discussion with Esaad and her co-editor-in-chief Forever Larnyoh, along with event photographer Kirk Lisaj, DJ Onii-Sama and makeup artist Olive Grey, among others.
How to be an authentic artist while still paying the bills, the sometimes-limiting nature of social media and the challenges of building a community in a place like Toronto were among the topics of discussion.
One message seemed to particularly resonate with attendees: show up for your community.
“It's really difficult to produce something, and it's really easy to criticize,” Lisaj said. “If your friends are doing something, show up for them.”
Esaad told TorontoToday that Lotion is committed to carving out spaces for queer youth and she’s been heartened to see the magazine’s events go on to spur further creative projects.
After one of Lotion’s raves, Esaad said a friend approached her with a “six-foot painting referencing that event.”
“They’re now putting it into a gallery show and inviting us to help out with it,” she added.
Esaad wants to see people challenge the idea that nightlife and partying is inherently reckless or escapist.
“I actually think in the right place with the right folks, it can be the most beautiful thing that you ever experience,” she said. “The spaces that we design are carefully created to acknowledge the fact that nightlife can be safe.”
Lotion’s raves employ harm reduction staff and emphasize that racism, homophobia, transphobia and violence are not tolerated. Esaad said the collective gives partygoers the chance to express themselves freely and without judgement.
“It really is this space of love and freedom,” Esaad said. “Our community really cherishes and values the time that we get to spend together — and we like to go all out.”
