Exhibition and TOM House experience in Taiwan

TOM House the VR Experience: Panorama from Laveta Terrace. © Donkey Hotel 2023

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 in the documentary VR-piece TOM House: The VR Experience.

Use a Rubber (Preparatory drawing), 1987, Graphite on paper
Use a Rubber (1987), 2010, Fine art print

This is the best example of Tom’s influence on the LGBTQ+ community after the AIDS epidemic, reminding everyone that while enjoying desire and pleasure, one must also take precautions.

Kaohsiung Film Festival XR Dreamland invites you to embark on a transcendent journey through virtual reality. This immersive experience guides you beyond temporal boundaries into the hallowed sanctuary of Tom’s former residence, TOM House. As you explore its diverse corners, you’ll feel the essence of a space that still offers refuge and freedom today.

The 29 reproduced works, certified by Tom of Finland Foundation, are exhibited in the XR Dreamland main venue, affording you a glimpse into what was once a forbidden tapestry of desire. 

Finnish artist Tom of Finland was born Touko Laaksonen on 8th May 1920, in Finland. During his adolescence, he displayed a talent for drawing and created homoerotic renderings of men. However, under the pressure of serving in the war, he had to destroy these works. After World War II, Tom resumed his artistic pursuits where he openly expressed his desire for men in military uniforms. His art deconstructed authority figures, embraced racial diversity, and eliminated inequalities between different social classes, presenting pure sexual desire and fantasies to the world.

Tom’s creative journey unfolded in Finland in the 1950s and ’60s, where same-sex desires were deemed illegal. It wasn’t until 1956 that Tom summoned the courage to submit his artwork to the American magazine Physique Pictorial, whose editor added “of Finland”  to Tom’s signature, creating the famous artist identity, marking the genesis of his profound influence in late 20th-century culture.

Tom of Finland’s artistic oeuvre reverberated across the globe, inspiring artists such as Japanese manga artist Genaro “Jin” Gono, American artist Richard Hawkins, and G.B. Jones. It extended beyond the confines of art, influencing luminaries like French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, Queen’s charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury, and the enigmatic Jim Morrison of the psychedelic rock band, The Doors. Countless artists found sustenance in Tom’s work, and his characters became symbols of defiance against societal norms.

Published: 13th October 2023

Categorised in: Events