Feeling at home: in the body, the family and the society | 2nd March | Berlin

Finland celebrates 2017 its 100th anniversary. At the core of those celebrations is the homeland and linked to it the notion of home. In this discussion the panelists look into the question what “home” means to different people in different contexts. The focus is on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people and their experiences in relation to their bodies, their families and their homelands: Are they able or allowed to feel at home in those sites?

The panelists will scrutinize in particular the life and work of Touko Laaksonen, the man behind Tom of Finland, who is known for his homoerotic fetish art and his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. How was Touko Laaksonen’s relationship to his homeland Finland? What experiences did Tom of Finland have with his family? And how did his art works impact definitions of masculinity and the body?

TOM OF FINLAND (Touko Laaksonen, Finnish, 1920 – 1991), Untitled, 1947, Gouache on paper, 11.31” x 8.19”, © Tom of Finland Foundation

Panel Discussion in English

Moderator:
Dr. Laura Hirvi, The Finnish Institute in Germany
Panelists:
Pekka Strang (Actor, Tom of Finland movie)
Susanna Luoto (Curator, Tom of Finland Foundation)
Dr. Klaus Mueller, Salzburg Global LGBT Forum
Prof. Anu Koivunen, University of Stockholm

Thursday, 2p

The discussion is organized as part of the Tom of Finland exhibition in Salon Dahlmann and as part of the #MobileHome2017 project at the Finnish Institute in Berlin in collaboration with Homotopia and the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum.

Published: 23rd February 2017

Categorised in: Events