[Image Credit: Stuart Sandford, Polaroid Collage XXII, 2020]
The Tom of Finland Foundation is set to unveil FXLK PLAY: Mythmaking, Devotion, and Mischief, a landmark group exhibition featuring over 60 LGBTQ+ artists from around the world. Opening on September 13 at Long Hall in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park and running until October 12, the show pays tribute to the Foundation’s pioneering Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) program and the erotic artistic heritage nurtured at TOM House in Echo Park. This highly immersive exhibition channels the rebellious spirit and sensual aesthetics synonymous with the legendary artist Tom of Finland, celebrating a legacy that continues to influence queer art and culture profoundly.
Curated by Jamison Edgar, FXLK PLAY is designed to evoke the lush, immersive environment that reflects Tom of Finland’s archive and style. The exhibition is divided into four thematic sections: House of Gods, which delves into the Foundation’s extensive archive of over 9,000 works by Tom and other queer artists; Pleasure Park, inspired by intimate moments and physical spaces like TOM House’s gardens; Skeletons in the Closet, which confronts complex themes of taboo, kink, race, and gender; and DOM TOM, highlighting artists who push the boundaries of erotic resistance. The show not only honours the past but asserts itself as a defiant response to present-day censorship and rollbacks on queer freedoms. Edward Cella, CEO of the Foundation, describes the event as both a celebration and a bold act of cultural preservation and activism.
The Tom of Finland Foundation, established in 1984, has long functioned as a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ artists marginalized or censored elsewhere. Central to its mission, the Artist-in-Residence program offers creators from across the globe a safe haven to produce bold works without compromise. Participants are provided with high-quality accommodations, access to the Foundation’s archives, and opportunities to present their work publicly. The residency is often described by artists as a transformative experience—a ‘second coming out’ where their artistic practice grows more intimate, fearless, and unapologetically queer.
Recent residents include artists like Orpheus, a painter from the UK whose work explores highly charged gay erotic scenes influenced by 17th-century baroque art, and Rachel Britton, a Michigan-based photographer and filmmaker. These artists, selected from a highly competitive field, benefit from an environment encouraging exploration of identity, sexuality, and community. The Foundation’s role extends beyond providing studio space; TOM House itself is considered a “living archive” and creative spark that nurtures a global network of queer artists, who carry forward the Foundation’s mission into their own communities worldwide.
The show’s assertion that eroticism is fundamental to queer identity challenges forces seeking to sanitize or censor queer expression. According to Cella, sexuality is inseparable from queer art, and asking artists to exclude eroticism is tantamount to asking them to censor themselves. FXLK PLAY offers a dedicated space for unfiltered, powerful expressions of desire and identity, reminding audiences that erotic creativity is a source of strength rather than shame.
In addition to the exhibition, FXLK PLAY includes a robust schedule of public programming supported by the City of West Hollywood and the John Burton Harter Foundation, alongside collaborations with local arts groups and businesses. This network of solidarity bolsters the Foundation’s broader goals: preserving TOM House, increasing public access to its archives, expanding curatorial programming, and embracing an even wider spectrum of queer identities.
The Tom of Finland Foundation invites diverse participation beyond gallery visits—through tours, events, volunteering, and digital engagement—asserting that the legacy of Tom’s work belongs to all who see themselves reflected in it. As the Foundation looks to the future, it remains committed to fostering a vibrant, liberated queer creative community grounded in togetherness and fearless artistic expression.
Source: Noah Wire Services
