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it borrows its title from a poem by late surrealist poet and painter mário cesariny, whose life and work serves as its thematic starting point. The piece is the culmination of a research project joão pedro vale and nuno alexandre ferreira conducted during an artistic residency at la cité internationale des arts in paris. separated by a gridded metal ceiling, downstairs the walls are painted with images of naked men surrounding a large pool that evokes the interior of gay bathhouses. sections of the space are partitioned off into cells juxtaposing antagonistic references and evoking images of dirtiness/cleanliness sickness/cure and crime/punishment.Īlongside one of the walls is a bar, modelled on a popular gay club in lisbon and decorated with half-empty drinks, ashtrays and an old radio. Images © photography by bruno lopes / courtesy of EDP foundationĪccessed via a staircase that leads to the first floor, upon entering the damp and dimly-lit structure visitors are faced with what looks like the washroom of a prison covered in grafitti. titled loving as the road begins, the installation draws parallels between the constructs of incarceration and lives lived on the margins of society. the space, a cross between a sex club, a prison, a shower stall and a sauna, is reminiscent of gay cruising venues. Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.Portuguese artists joão pedro vale and nuno alexandre ferreira have constructed a two-storey building inside the MAAT in lisbon. But more than that, the pieces specifically affirmed queer sex in its many expressions, in ways that flew in the face of respectability politics and changed the way society viewed gay sexuality forever. Most notably, it offered a level of visibility for queer men in ways that hadn’t popularly been depicted in art before. His work was undoubtedly formative-not only for queer artists and the gay community at large, but for societal misfits of all walks of life. “That has a big political message, particularly today.” “Tom of Finland’s work has the power to change people’s lives and make people feel like who they are is important,” said Elysia Borowy-Reeder, the Executive Director of (MOCAD). In the garage, four vitrines feature ephemera, like fliers from 1999 for the punk band Limp Wrist featuring appropriated Tom of Finland illustrations.
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One hallway features his Pleasure Park series, depicting a figure named Kake on a cruising trip-turned-orgy in the woods.
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Early drawings and reference materials-Laaksonen’s work was often an amalgamation of his imagination and men in his life-are shown alongside more polished drawings.
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That influence continues to resonate with artists today, as noted in books like My Gay Eye, which includes current working artists like Gio Black Peter, who recently helped conceptualize the artistic direction for the legendary New York queer fetish event The Black Party.Īt MOCAD, Tom of Finland pieces hang alongside work by Mapplethorpe, Raymond Pettibon, John Waters, and other contemporaries influenced by his art. Their art changed the visuals of queer culture, not only by showing work in magazines and later galleries, but also by doing the graphics for iconic fetish clubs like Mineshaft and The Lure, gay bathhouses, and a variety of other queer establishments. “He made them think that they could examine what they were doing and know that they could incorporate sexuality into their work.” “I think Tom gave them permission to use erotica as a part of their practice,” Sharp said. As Laaksonen began spending more time in America, he grew close to artists like Etienne and Robert Mapplethorpe, inviting them to his home for salons and viewings, since opportunities to show their work at public institutions were scarce. In addition to this generation of gay men, his work influenced a generation of artists.