Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival celebrates erotic expression
11th October 2022, 6:00 am
For the uninitiated, the subculture surrounding legendary erotic artist Tom of Finland could appear intimidating. There are lots of big bulges and muscle-bound leathermen, tough-looking bikers and overt depictions of Gay sex, so candid and unapologetic between all the fisting, masculine bravado and cop outfits within his work.
If you take the opportunity to look a little closer and approach his drawings with an open mind, you’ll notice that they’re actually deeply persuasive and nuanced depictions of intimacy and pleasure. The works contain still-relevant commentary on societal censorship and the empowerment of queer identity, not to mention the politics and power dynamics attached to human sexuality as a whole.
So by the end, you’ll realize there’s nothing alienating or daunting about these images nor the community they represent. And the best display of this? Probably the annual Tom of Finland Arts and Culture Festival, which took place this past weekend.
Tom of Finland Art & Culture Fair 2023
Tom of Finland Foundation presents the Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival 2023 GlobalSexual LOS ANGELES: Soho Warehouse, 1000 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (map) Saturday 7th October: 11a-7p Sunday 8th October: Noon-7p BERLIN: prideART at The Knast, Söhtstraße 7, 12203 Berlin, Germany (map) Friday 12th May: 3-8p Saturday 13th May:… View ArticlePublished: 11th October 2022
Tags: Durk Dehner, Gigi Goode, Jonathan Anderson, Paper Magazine, Sandra Song, ToF Art Fair 2022, Tom of Finland