A new exhibn showg the works of Too Laaksonen, better known by his psdonym Tom of Fland, adds a personal touch to the late Fnish artist whose homoerotic drawgs of mcular men gaed a followg the gay muny om the 1950s.“Tom of Fland — Bold Journey,” opens Friday at the Mm of Contemporary Art Kiasma Helski. It featur Laaksonen’s drawgs, archive material, clothg as well as memorabilia, letters, and films. Laaksonen’s cheerful, sexually explic works ma an impact at a time when homosexualy was illegal or classified as a disease untri around the world, cludg his native Fland. The Nordic untry has sce embraced the artist, who died 1991, as a natnal in.
Contents:
- TOM OF FLAND’S HYPERMASCULE GAY IMAG ‘THE PLEASURE OF PLAY’
- INTERVIEW-THROUGH HOMOEROTIC ART, TOM OF FLAND PAVED WAY FOR TODAY'S GAY PRI
- "GAY"/ FE ART PRTS ▼
- TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC UNTRY’S GAY IN
TOM OF FLAND’S HYPERMASCULE GAY IMAG ‘THE PLEASURE OF PLAY’
Tom of Fland, perhaps the most inic creator of erotic gay art, unrstood his role as a liberator. His imag of men unleashg their ept fantasi have provid an outlet for self-intifitn and tablished a visual inography of eroticism. * finland gay art *
Eded by thor, art aler, and llector Juerg Jud and German art cric and wrer Pay Matthis Karstens jt time for Pri, the book has the look and feel of a Too Laaksonen (1920-1991), Tom revolutnized not jt the pictn of gay men wh his highly stylized and hypersexualized imagery but also the way they were perceived society and how they perceived themselv. Tom of Fland’s art beme an inic part of the gay visual vobulary durg s time.
INTERVIEW-THROUGH HOMOEROTIC ART, TOM OF FLAND PAVED WAY FOR TODAY'S GAY PRI
100 Hero: Tom of Fland. The gay man who created art that helped shape queer inty and sire. * finland gay art *
Homosexualy was illegal Fland until 1971. “Tom of Fland’s bodi are gog to be somethg that really also om the postwar era, the need to bat the ia of effemacy of homosexualy, ” says Dr. The ia of the homosexual before the 1950s was only a highly effemate one.
While some gay men were (and rema) proudly effemate, others wanted to be gay on their own terms, whout havg their inty prcribed to them.
"GAY"/ FE ART PRTS ▼
After a bpic about the famo gay Fnish artist premiered this weekend, a look at why his art still ptivat the world. * finland gay art *
In dog so, he created a visual language for gay men that had prevly been publicly unavailable to them, one where s actors were permted to be mascule, happy and sexually domant.
“It then creat a siar kd of gatekeepg on the straight male that was hherto enclosed on the gay male. ” It also creat the possibily of straight men aspirg to what Tom of Fland shows as homosexual prentatn.
TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC UNTRY’S GAY IN
Available for viewg and acquisn: gay art drawgs, gay art patgs, and gay art photographs by ternatnally acclaimed artists. * finland gay art *
“He creat this proxy gay universe … a gay Olymp. Tom of Fland had ma his way to the Amerin visual market 1957, wh drawgs and on the ver of Physique Pictorial, a homoerotic magaze that displayed nu bodybuilrs unr the guise of athletic molg to avoid obsceny implitns. The “Tom of Fland” look — boots, leather, mtach, tight jeans — beme vibrant the gay muny and eventually crossed over to the mastream via the artists spired.
My Gay Eye is a 400-page anthology that celebrat queer sexualy. * finland gay art *
Tom of Fland, perhaps the most inic creator of erotic gay art, unrstood his role as a liberator. From a distance, then, he was keepg pace wh Amerin gay liberatn and cultural shifts. When he arrived California 1977, was no surprise that he was immediately embraced by a muny who viewed him as paragon of gay pri.
The stereotype of a domant and submissive partner assumed of a both a male/female and gay relatnships was not one he subscribed to. The gay man who created art that helped shape queer inty and sire.