Tom of Finland Arrives in NY: A tribute to cruising in the Big City

This week, in New York’s historic Meatpacking District — once a working-class hub of slaughterhouses and later a crucible of queer cruising culture — we staged a site-specific photoshoot with the limited edition reproduction of a linocut print by Tom of Finland, reviving the textures of desire, transgression, and history embedded in this place. The print was created in partnership with Phillips Dropshop and Cirrus Editions with funds from the print going directly to our artist-in-residence program.

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Hunting, dated circa 1978, is one of only a few linocuts Tom ever produced. Although it was a medium he briefly explored, he did so with great mastery but limited dissemination. These works are rare. They’ve lived quietly — until now.

Staged between trucks in the alleyways of the Meatpacking piers, the shoot activates a ritual of queer visibility and erotic exchange that once flourished along this stretch of the Hudson River. It was here, on the ruins of industrial space, that artists like Stanley Stellar, Alvin Baltrop and Leonard Fink documented a subculture where pleasure, community, and vulnerability coexisted in the shadows. This project, arrives at a moment of both celebration and resistance — when LGBTQ+ communities continue to face increasing cultural and political suppression. To bring Tom’s work into this context is not simply a gesture of homage, but an act of reactivation. 

Our deepest thanks to the volunteers who made this shoot possible and to Phillips Auction House for their critical support in preserving and advancing Tom’s lesser-known print works.

Photography by the one and only Sam Shan

Photo editing magic by Junyan Hu and Carla Estrada

Featuring our stunning cast:
Tyler Reese
Brandon Jones
Michael Christatos
Daniel

Published: 27th June 2025

Categorised in: Art Offering