“AllTogether” | Suzanne Shifflett, Stanley Stellar and Steven Reigns

AllTogether features artists from the Tom of Finland Foundation collections.

SUZANNE SHIFFLETT (B. 1965, American)
Suzanne Shifflett is an academically trained painter and a tattoo artist. Shifflett’s work depicts gender non-conformity and aims to represent experiences, people, and communities that are invisible in society. She wants to express that which has little to no language, which is ignored in society, law, community, and art. In 2021, Shifflett received the Tom of Finland Foundation Life Achievement Award.

“What has always attracted me to Tom’s art is his unapologetic way of drawing masculine characters. As a non-binary butch dyke, I can appreciate this. Not having seen many positive reflections of myself or others like me, in mainstream media, I’ve often turned to Tom’s art as a safe space to explore my own sexuality. His bravery has given me the freedom to create art that represents and explores who I am and my interior life.” – SS

STEVEN REIGNS (B. 1975, American)
Steven Reigns is a poet, artist, and LGBTQ+ activist. Reigns created the first-ever autobiographical poetry workshop for LGBTQ+ seniors, lectured and taught workshops to queer youth and people living with HIV. Known for his poetry publications, he has edited four anthologies and authored the collection of autobiographical poems, Inheritance. Reigns is an Anaïs Nin scholar and is the first appointed Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. A regular Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival performer, Reigns lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

“Tom of Finland Foundation is such a beacon outreaching into darkness, and TOM House on Laveta Terrace is that unmoving lighthouse. Like most lighthouses, TOM House isn’t a place where one takes up residency but where one first finds solid ground. This is a poetic metaphor but also fittingly phallic.” – SR

STANLEY STELLAR (B. 1945, American)
Stanley Stellar was educated at Parsons School of Design, where he focused on graphic design and photography. Stellar photographs the male visual culture, creating depth and humanity in his photographs. Stellar’s photography has been shown in galleries in the U.S.A. and Europe, presented and discussed in over a dozen anthologies, and featured on the covers of twenty-six international magazines. The Beauty of All Men, Photographs 1976-2011, a monograph, was published by All Saints Press (2011). Stellar lives and works in New York, NY.

Discover more AllTogether artists

The exhibition tells the individual stories of the artists. At the same time, the exhibition locates parallels, interactions, and influences between Tom of Finland Foundation, Tom’s aesthetic impact, and the community of artists that have formed throughout the years around them…View

Published: 25th May 2022

Categorised in: Art Offering, Events