The current artist-in-residence at the Tom of Finland Foundation is Bas Kosters, who is presenting an exhibition of his work.

Such Delicate Tenderness showcases the series of erotic art that Kosters has been creating.

“In my work there is always a strange contrast between outspokenness and tenderness, childlike optimism, and provocative aesthetics…” explains Kosters. “I like to combine our world of emotions and senses in strong contrast with bold shapes and graphic notions. During my residency, I reflected on different emotional and sexual aspects and layers of the world of the Queer and LGBTQ community.”

“I created a series of drawings and tapestries, to strengthen and deepen my vision within my erotic art, fed by my personal experiences in Los Angeles.”

“My stay at Tom of Finland Foundation has been truly magical. It’s a place with a strong energy, which is great to revel in. The rich history, which the Foundation represents, has proved its meaningfulness, yet it is still necessary to keep pushing boundaries and create space for our community. I’m really excited to help shape the future landscape of erotic art, as it’s one of my great interests. If with this, I can contribute to people developing personally and sexually, that would be a great outcome. For me, my residency has been open and full of experiments, which led to a large variety of works, themed by my personal fascinations and points of view.”

“I tried to touch all the things in my erotic universe that please, inspire, alarm or excite me. I also tried to answer the question where my interest in the erotic art comes from. I realised that it’s a deeply-rooted fascination that is simply part of my whole emotional, personal and professional being.”

“The title reflects on the stigma that sexuality has in our western world, which seems to become more prudish every day. Sexuality can be emotional, spiritual and transcendental, not just dirty, offensive or naughty.”

“In past times, Homosexuals had various very soft nicknames marking them as feminine, while Gays nowadays might focus a lot on masculinity themselves. With my projects, I strive to embody fluidity, softness and playfulness, instead of thinking too much in stereotypes. Let’s get tender!”

Such Delicate Tenderness opens on 24 November at TOM House in Los Angeles

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