I live in Finland. Right now Tom of Finland is the thing. He seems to be everywhere: in stamps, bath towels, postcards. There is an exhibition of his works, two movie projects, and at least one play based on his life. Therefore l shoudn’t have been surprised when I saw the ad for am internet casino bearing the name of Tom’s Casino, complete with one of Tom’s images.
This boom of interest in Tom and his work is both gratifying and a bit disconcerting. Gratifying because it highlights the change in public attitudes that has happened during my life. Back in the eighties when I was a student of Art History Tom’s works were dismissed as irrelevant to the art world and culture out side the gay subculture.
But it is disconcerting because all the attention starts to feel like exploitation. I am not sure if Tom would have enjoyed all this attention. During his lifetime he didn’t want to have an exhibition in Finland.
Take the online Casino. What possible connection there is between Tom or his work and an online casino? Gambling and casinos don’t feature in his work, nor are they really a part of the kind of Gay culture that Tom celebrated, so seeing his drawing on the casin’s ad leaves just the feeling of being ripped off.
