A survey of the Tom of Finland Foundation Artist‑in‑Residence Program

This exhibition celebrates fifteen years of artists-in-residence at Tom of Finland Foundation and frames TOM House as a living pantheon of Queer mythmaking. For over forty years, artists have passed through TOM House, not just drawing from Tom’s legacy, but reshaping it—bending it, stretching it, slipping into it. The exhibition proposes Tom of Finland as a modern folk hero, with his move to Los Angeles marking a shift from underground icon to something larger: a mythic figure whose image is continually rewritten through the desires, anxieties, and fantasies of Queer life today.

At TOM House, the artists-in-residence are at the center of this work. They don’t simply reflect Tom’s life, they continually remake it. In doing so, they become the orators of his evolving legacy, carrying it forward into the future. The title FXLK PLAY nods to this and to the role the Artists-in-Residence Program has played in shaping the Foundation.

FXLK PLAY: Artists-in-Mischief, Devotion, and Mythmaking is curated by LA based independent curator Jamison Edgar and features works from Tom of Finland Foundation’s permanent collection, archives, and selected loans.

A First-of-Its-Kind Exhibition Celebrating TOM House’s LGBTQ+ Artists-in-Residence

FXLK PLAY transforms Long Hall into an immersive exhibition of painting, sculpture, and video that evokes the maximalist nature of TOM House and its world-renowned erotic art archive. The exhibition positions the Foundation as a living site of Queer mythmaking. The exhibition is organized into three thematic collections and features an immersive installation of artists’ videos, a listening station with reflections from past residents, and a comprehensive timeline of TOM House from 1979 to 2026. The collections in the exhibition include:

• House of Gods highlights TOM House as a living archive of symbols and icons that artists-in-residence conjure through ritual, research, and creative practice.
• Pleasure Park champions queer desire, inspired by the gardens and intimate spaces throughout TOM House.
• Skeletons in the Dungeon examines the nuances of taboo, kink, and submission, as well as the resilience of artists-in-residence in the face of racist, transphobic, and homophobic violence.

Exhibition Manager: Catalina Bulgach 19th February–19th March Thursdays through Sundays, Noon–5p Docents on site. Saturdays, Noon-2p Exhibition curator Jamison Edgar will give walkthroughs of the space to provide deeper context and insight into the narrative of the show.

Body Talk: Collecting Queer and Gay Art | Los Angeles LGBT Center Friday 27th February 2006 1125 North McCadden Place, Los Angeles

Join Tom of Finland Foundation and Frieze Los Angeles for a special event honoring Queer history, artistic legacy, and acquiring contemporary art.

My Gay Eye book presentation | Circus of Books Sunday 1st March 2026 8230 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood

Editor Rinaldo Hopf discusses how My Gay Eye (Meine Schwules Auge): Tom of Finland Foundation Edition came to be during his residency at TOM House.

WHEN SOMEONE SEES US: Expanding Ideas About Queer Erotic Art | ONE Gallery Saturday 7th March 2026 626 North Robertson Boulevard, West Hollywood

Moderator Jerri Allyn and panelists Amina Cruz, Cade Moga and FXLK PLAY curator Jamison Edgar discuss how we ensure artist’s work will be respected and appropriately contextualized.

Drawing Session with Rex | Circus of Books Sunday 8th March 2026 8230 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood

Hosted by Rex Kung, life drawing featuring live models, dé Hanno and Siren, in a variety of classical poses.

FXLK PLAY  Closing | Plummer Park Thursday 19th March 2026 1200 North Vista Street, West Hollywood

Join us at our final reception. See highlights and a special appearance by former Artist-in-Residence Daphne von Rey.

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