Cultura / Casa - 3/29/22
On the occasion of Tom of Finland’s birthday (8 May 1920), Tom of Finland Foundation and The Community have curated AllTogether, a group exhibition supported by Diesel, presenting Tom of Finland Foundation’s permanent collection to the public for the first time outside of Los Angeles.
AllTogether explores the erotic art collection consisting of thousands of artworks, spanning multiple decades and encompassing all media and techniques. This exhibition is possible because of the Foundation’s efforts in preserving the work of queer artists, many of whom have faced discrimination and misrepresentation due to the nature of what they create.
For over thirty years, Tom of Finland Foundation has been building the world’s most extensive collection of LGBTQ+ art. Durk Dehner and Tom of Finland cofounded Tom of Finland Foundation in 1984 with the aim to better preserve and promote Tom’s work. However, quickly the Foundation’s role extended to promoting and archiving the works of other queer artists: the early years of Foundation coincided with the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Many erotic artists of the time, some working anonymously throughout their career, were concerned that their work would be forgotten or destroyed after their deaths. Thus, they donated their life’s work to Foundation, knowing it would be carefully archived and their stories preserved. AllTogether acknowledges the profound social and cultural impact Tom’s Foundation has made, in providing an open, unique space of freedom and love for this community of artists.
Usually witnessed hung on the walls of TOM House in Los Angeles, the diverse curation highlights the stories of over seventy featured artists. AllTogether inaugurates at Studio Cannaregio in Venice, Italy, on 23 April coinciding with the opening weekend of the Venice Biennale. A second distinct exhibition will open at The Community Centre in Paris on 8 May. Both run through 26 June. The two shows comprise more than two hundred works of art from the 1940s to the present day.
AllTogether encapsulates the bonds of community where interchange inspires others to create or collect art that represents their own definition of beauty.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Tom of Finland Foundation, The Community and Diesel will publish a fully illustrated catalogue with an introduction by curator Sini Rinne-Kanto, an essay by Pierre-Alexandre Mateos and Charles Teyssou, and interviews by Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Michael Bullock, and Miss Rosen with Durk Dehner, Gio Black Peter, Rick Castro, Silvia Prada, and Stanley Stellar. AllTogether is proudly supported by Diesel.
VENICE
Studio Cannaregio
23 April to 26 June 2022
Opening: Friday, 22 April 2022
Calle de le Conterie, 1345/D, 30121
Venezia VE, Italy
PARIS
The Community Centre
8 May to 26 June 2022
Opening: Saturday, 7 May 2022
9 Rue Méhul, 93500
Pantin, France
CONDIVIDERE
