The first exhibition in Japan of the works of the iconic Finnish artist Tom of Finland

18th August 2020, 6:16 am

 

The exhibition, at GALLERY X, is the fruits of a collaboration between the Finnish Institute Japan, the Embassy of Finland in Japan, Tom of Finland Foundation, The Container gallery, and PARCO. The exhibition is curated by the Tokyo-based curator and director of The Container, Mr. Shai Ohayon. The exhibition was designed to coincide with Tom’s 100th birthday anniversary – #TOMs100.

The exhibition puts emphasis on Tom of Finland’s role in promoting sensual and erotic depictions of the male body as a catalyst for social change and the acceptance of gay people, while facing a legal and social reality they were fighting to change. Delving into a world of fantasy, with sexual freedom, Tom depicted a new “gay masculinity”, adding to the vocabulary of what gay men were allowed to be by society.

“Reality & Fantasy: The World of Tom of Finland”

20th Nov 2020 – 7th Dec 2020 @ All Day –         Presented by Finnish Institute Japan, Embassy of Finland in Japan, Tom of Finland Foundation, The Container, and Parco   Curated by Shai Ohayon The exhibition features a selection of 30 historical works, ranging from 1946 to 1989, covering the artist’s entire professional career, and highlighting both his artistic versatility and presenting […]

“Reality & Fantasy: The World of Tom of Finland”

18th Sep 2020 – 5th Oct 2020 @ 11:00 am – 9:00 pm –                                 Presented by Finnish Institute Japan, Embassy of Finland in Japan, Tom of Finland Foundation, The Container, and Parco   Curated by Shai Ohayon The exhibition features a selection of 30 historical works, ranging from 1946 to 1989, covering the […]

“Tom of Finland” screenings

18th Sep 2020 – 24th Sep 2020 @ All Day –         Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds postwar Helsinki rampant with homophobic persecution, and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko […]

Tom of Finland lectures ONLINE

18th Sep 2020 – 5th Oct 2020 @ All Day –       6:00-7:30p (Toyko time) Lecture 1 hour followed by 1/2 hour Q&A                   Lectures are in English and interpreted into Japanese.   18th September The Heavenly Creatures of Lust – The Male Body made desirable in Tom of Finland’s Drawings Dr Juha-Heikki Tihinen / Curator, […]

“An Ode to Tom”

21st Sep 2020 – 30th Nov 2020 @ All Day –         Goh Mishima  |  Gengoroh Tagame  |  Jiraiya After many months of correspondence and virtual meetings with Durk Dehner, president of Tom of Finland Foundation, and his team, I was at last headed to meet face-to-face at TOM House—the office of the Foundation, a museum dedicated to Tom, and a residence to […]

A rooftop party commemorates Tom of Finland’s first solo exhibition in Japan and Tom of Finland’s 100th anniversary

On the occasion of Reality & Fantasy at GALLERY X in Shibuya PARCO WATCH THE PARTY (1 Hour)  

Tom of Finland Comes to Japan

Out, proud, and unabashedly homoerotic, the gay artist’s iconic imagery has become an international symbol of freedom. In Japan, the kimono’s obi, or belt, and underlying ties are cinched tight, the better to maintain the elegance of the garment as the body loses itself in its expanses of fine fabric and sculpted form. Elsewhere, in a… View Article

‘I almost gave up’: Tom of Finland exhibition to finally open in Japan

Gallery rejections suggested residual squeamishness about depictions of gay sexuality in Japan An exhibition opens for Tom’s centenary in Tokyo after two years of rejections from gallery owners. After a fruitless two-year search for a venue, Shai Ohayon was on the verge of abandoning his dream of bringing the art of Tom of Finland to… View Article

 

Published: 18th August 2020

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