Date/Time
Date(s) - 7th Oct 2023 - 22nd Oct 2023
All Day

Location
Kaohsiung Music Center Coral Zone

Categories

• Exhibitions - TOM

MAP

TOM House the VR Experience｜2023｜Interactive VR｜Color｜35 mins [Extract from the animated scene “Valhalla” © Donkey Hotel 2023]

TOM House is directed by Márton Jelinkó and Carlos Marroquin, and
produced by Donkey Hotel production company of Helsinki, Finland.

Part of Kaohsiung Film Festival – XR Dreamland

Tom of Finland (1920–1991) is arguably the world’s most celebrated and influential creator of Queer-erotic art. TOM House the VR Experience is a documentary VR-piece that immerses visitors into the legendary Los Angeles residence of Tom, where he lived the last decade of his life. 

Donning the VR headset, you find yourself standing at the entrance to the Los Angeles residence of Homoerotic artist Tom of Finland. Your audio guide on this tour is Durk Dehner, Tom’s partner, who spent 13 years alongside the artist. The main routes of the tour are marked by phallic symbols, and clicking on these will allow you to move to the next viewing point within the house. Pay extra attention to the special buttons within the house – clicking on these will allow you to view specially crafted extended documentaries and animated explanations of the artworks.

In matters of desire, all men are created equal

During the tumultuous 1960s and ’70s in the United States, marked by ethnic conflicts and discrimination, the works of Tom of Finland often featured a significant proportion of Black male figures engaged in intimate encounters, including scenes depicting interracial and interethnic relationships. Furthermore, in Tom’s works, there was a frequent portrayal of male laborers, as if in Tom’s world, desire flowed uninhibited by skin color, race, or class, and true sexual liberation embodied the essence of freedom.

PHILIP STUART Portrait of Tom, Photograph, c.1984

Visitors can take different routes, from the outside to the inside, to view the life, history, collection, and works of Tom Finland, as well as the charming residence where the artist lived and worked, and experience his energetic and passionate creations about Gay men. You can also take a closer look at the details of the interior and exterior of this large house.

On 14th October at 4p, directors Márton Jelinkó and Carlos Marroquin are in discussion with Taiwanese artist Ning Wen about Queer art. The environment is a thrilling trip to an erotic art gallery.