Elias

Elias Bučko (JÁDU) is a journalist from Slovakia, currently based in Czechia. He completed a Master’s degree in Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam, followed by his work as a cultural writer at Framer Framed. His writing often delves into topics of art, migration, and explores the plurality of queer and trans* experiences across shifting political landscapes. Previously, he has published his articles in the Slovak independent portal Kapitál and Dutch cultural web publication Framer Framed.

Moving between Slovakia, Czechia, and the Netherlands, Elias deploys a transnational perspective in his work: he is currently developing a reportage about Polish supermarkets in the Netherlands as spaces of connection and post-socialist cultural memory. His second piece focuses on the experiences of queer and trans* people growing up or living in small towns and rural areas in Slovakia.

JÁDU ⟶
Young Journalists 2026

Articles

Flowers in a basket © Elias Bučko

Queer beyond the city limits

The stories of trans* people from rural areas are characterised by loneliness, pain and a lack of support. At the same time, however, they also challenge the notion that the countryside – in contrast to the utopia of the city – is a confined place full of hostility. The maize village, the village by the water and the village in the mycelium have not only hurt our protagonists, but also shaped them: they are a source of identity, memories, family and a sense of security. They are places that feel like home, even though they were not created for people like them.

  • Author: Elias Bučko
  • Medium: JÁDU
  • Original title: Queer za hranicou mesta
  • Culture and Identity

A lady in the supermarket © Elias Bučko

At home between the aisles

Amidst pickled gherkins, Polish sweets and Ukrainian varenyky, places have sprung up in Western European suburbs that are far more than just supermarkets. They help to overcome the barriers, isolation and social exclusion that are part of the migration experience for many Eastern Europeans. JÁDU author Elias Bučko visited two of these unique microcosms in the Netherlands and discovered a peculiar tension between familiarity and strangeness.

  • Author: Elias Bučko
  • Medium: JÁDU
  • Original title: Domov medzi regálmi
  • Culture and Identity