The 26th annual Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival, Tom of Finland 101: Raw Anatomy, presented by the Tom of Finland Foundation (ToFF) will be open to the public this Saturday December 4th and Sunday December 5th from 11am – 5pm at Second Home, 1370 North Saint Andrews Place in Los Angeles. Tickets are available here.
“Tom of Finland would have been one hundred and one this year”, comments ToFF Vice President and Curator S.R. Sharp, “so 2021’s educational theme is Tom of Finland 1-0-1. For this particular ‘course,’ RAW Anatomy, the artists are our instructors.”
The Festival is ToFF’s yearly programmatic effort to bring together artists and patrons in a social environment to create a central hub for the queer erotic art community to network as well as to buy and sell works. Second Home is an indoor/outdoor space that offers a large garden campus, where art installations, performances, and presentations will occur in select “pods” and courtyards framed by lush landscape.
This is the first year the Festival is at Second Home and the first in-person festival ToFF has hosted in two years. Durk Dehner, ToFF’s President and Cofounder, noted that this year is even bigger than the last one: “With the highest attendance to date, the 2020 Festival was hosted on a custom website. We are thrilled to expand further this year with COVID-conscious experiences available for attendees.”
In addition to the in-person Festival, ToFF has created an Online Viewing Room on their website, which will launch simultaneously with the Festival, on December 4th. “We wanted to offer the opportunity for global artists to participate and showcase their work,” says curator Gary Everett. The Online Viewing Room will feature a special UK section, curated by Everett and Stuart Sandford.
This year’s event will bring together erotic artists, vendors, performers, DJs, and galleries. ToFF will also present its annual awards for Lifetime Achievement to Lloyd L. Clayton, Artist Hall of Fame to Martín Sorrondeguy, and an Achievement Award to Suzanne Shifflett. Exhibitors include David Kordansky Gallery, Edward Cella Art and Architecture, Simon Haas, Rick Castro, and Rubén Esparza Projects.
Highlighted Artists: Mike Kelley, Michael Hossner, Dynasty Handbag, Chivas Clem, Bruce LaBruce, Blake Little, Patrick Angus, Miguel Angel Reyes, William E. Jones, Hector Silva.
Event details: Tom of Finland Foundation presents Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival 2021 Tom of Finland 101: Raw Anatomy December 4th and 5th, 11am – 5pm.
Location: Second Home, 1370 North Saint Andrews Place, Los Angeles (Hollywood), California 90028.
For full details head to TomOfFinland.org/artfair/
Phenakite, the Los Angeles Times 2021 Restaurant of the Year, boasting a recent Michelin Star and a 20,000 person waiting list, will host a fundraising dinner at Second Home for Tom of Finland Foundation on Friday December 3rd, tickets are available here.
