Muscular Theology, which is about to celebrate its second anniversary, reflects not only an aesthetically and homoerotically charged universe created through artificial intelligence, but also serves as a visual diary of Cihan Bacak. Combining his observations from the gym with his background in fashion and art photography, Bacak starts each frame with inspiration from a different song, drawing from his visual influences of the time and constructing an alternative AI-based narrative for himself. This narrative extends from exhibitions to social media, from internationally-based digital and print publications to festivals. As a dynamic project that adapts to the constantly evolving nature of artificial intelligence, it remains rooted in a personal space while successfully gaining visibility in today’s digital world. In this piece written by Cihan Bacak, we are invited behind the scenes of Muscular Theology—into the pure excitement he feels during the creative process, the space of freedom he finds in Midjourney, and the boundless nature of his imagination.

Muscular Theology Notes from Cihan Bacak

Cihan Bacak, Muscular Theology, 2023 - 2025

I’ve been working as a fashion photographer for about 8 years, and two years ago, with the encouragement of my visual artist friends Alper Yeşiltaş and Metehan Özcan—who work with A.I.—I began experimenting on Midjourney. Instead of creating things similar to what I was already doing in photography, I decided to try out ideas I had always wanted to pursue but never had the opportunity to realize. The results made me genuinely happy. I originally started photography by shooting contemporary dancers. For a long time, I included them in the photographs I created. But in the back of my mind, I always wanted to work solely on male subjects—perhaps in places I hadn’t been able to go yet, with designs I didn’t have access to, and maybe with a boldness I hadn’t yet dared to express.

As I kept producing on Midjourney and later revisiting the images, I began to feel they all belonged to the same universe—and that’s how the Muscular Theology project began. Eventually, the works I created for this project began to influence the photographs I had taken and those I was planning to take. I guess I hadn’t expected things to evolve this far. At this point, my love for artificial intelligence grew exponentially—and I can admit, even a little sheepishly, that today it excites me more than photography does.

“Reframing my experience in photography and transferring it entirely to another world in front of a computer feels incredibly inspiring.”

There are many creative people—both in this country and in the rest of the world (especially in Western world)—who approach artificial intelligence critically. I think this actually creates an advantage for those who manage to benefit from it. It allows space to say, “Well, this can also be done differently,” and to set an example. Just like Alper and Metehan helped dispel my initial doubts, I now try to encourage my creative friends to experiment and develop their own language. For me, reframing my experience in photography and transferring it entirely to another world in front of a computer feels incredibly inspiring. I honestly can’t believe the people who claim that AI is purely technical and devoid of emotion. For me, it’s a bit like a visual diary—I can create what’s in my mind, late at night, while everyone else is asleep. If I want, I can come back to that image ten days later and change the parts I once thought were perfect. In photography, if you miss something on the day of the shoot, there’s not much you can do. But in Midjourney, that door is always open. I think that’s incredible. Where I am now, I feel like when I escape from one medium, I find shelter in the other. Honestly, having more options gave me space. And I think this freedom has also changed the way I look at photography.

Cihan Bacak, Muscular Theology, 2023 - 2025

Muscular Theology was born from the images of men that were etched into my mind over two years ago, when I first started going to the gym in an effort to build a fitness routine. Since taking unauthorized photos in a gym setting wouldn’t be acceptable, the idea of being able to illustrate what was in my head through words really resonated with me. Also, in fashion photography, you usually have to collaborate with a group of people to make something happen—so the recklessness and freedom offered by artificial intelligence was incredibly appealing to me.

Another major source of inspiration for me is music. When I go to the gym, I obsessively listen to certain songs that rotate over time, and whatever my mood is allowing space for in that moment becomes the thing I draw inspiration from. The names of the resulting series often come from a song title or a lyric. Just like in photography, that hasn’t changed with AI. Pop music and pop culture have nourished me deeply since childhood. Whatever I consider iconic ends up inspiring me and triggering something creatively. I can always see traces of that in the visuals I create—regardless of the medium.

Hedonistic pop music has always empowered me. I guess I try to reflect that in what I create. I’m always after images that are a little bit cool, uniquely charismatic, maybe ones you grow to like more as you look again, but always feel real.

Cihan Bacak, Muscular Theology, 2023 - 2025

In Midjourney, it’s like I’m using a medium format film camera—one that would be expensive and difficult to shoot with in real life—but here, I don’t have to care about how many frames I take. I can shoot as much as I want, with imaginary figures I’ve dreamed up or had dreamed up for me. No one complains, no one has an attitude.

Of course, there are other challenges, too. For example, there’s often a censorship mechanism in place. Getting homoerotic images to pass through the system is a real struggle. With each update, the list of banned terms shifts—and honestly, even chasing those limits is something that keeps you sharp. Creating images with artificial intelligence and dressing models in real designs is a reality that all fashion photographers will eventually have to adapt to. What motivates me the most within the Muscular Theology project are the things I’ve created for the brands and international magazines I admire most. Convincing a French fashion magazine to publish an AI-generated fashion editorial isn’t always easy. Even when they love the visuals, editors, creatives, and curators can often be very skeptical or distant when it comes to AI art. But the satisfaction of breaking through that barrier is something else entirely.

When I’m able to explain AI properly to a curator who initially invites me to participate with photography, they often begin to share my excitement—and before I know it, I find myself creating in Midjourney for the exhibition instead.

Most recently, I produced a testosterone-heavy series for the Paris-based Crush Fanzine. Right now, I’m working on visuals for a spring/summer campaign for a British sportswear brand, and this project will also include video. Being able to reach places that are otherwise hard to access—especially due to restrictions like visa limitations—gives me a unique sense of satisfaction.

And sometimes, when someone I’ve never met finds me through Instagram and wants to collaborate on the project, I feel as if the notion of place disappears, and I’m suddenly on equal footing with people from entirely different geographies. Maybe a creative living in Milan doesn’t feel the same level of “need” for AI. But when you’re in Istanbul and customs asks you to pay four times the value of the clothes you’ve ordered for a shoot—forcing you to send them back—AI becomes the perfect solution.