a brightly-lit gallery with white walls and polished concrete floors. Colourful-painted artworks by Beryl Cook and detailed-graphic pencil drawings by Tom of Finland line the walls, and three vitrines are positioned within the space.

Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland: Late Exhibition Openings and Screening

During the final week of Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland, join us for a series of late night openings of the exhibition and screenings of P Staff's 'The Foundation' (2015, 28 minutes).

The Foundation explores queer intergenerational relationships negotiated through historical materials. The film combines footage shot at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles — home to the archive of the erotic artist and gay icon and a community of people that care for it — with choreographic sequences shot within a specially constructed set. Staff's film explores the multiple layers, sub-communities, interpersonal relations, and erotic and artistic imaginaries that the site of the Foundation hosts, promotes, and projects.

Wednesday 21–Friday 23 August 2024, 10 am–8 pm. Drop in, no booking required. Screenings are on a rolling basis.

The Foundation was co-commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery, London; Spike Island, Bristol; Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane; and Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver. Co-produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London and Spike Island, Bristol. With thanks to Tom of Finland Foundation.

  1. P. Staff is an artist based in Los Angeles, USA and London, UK. Staff's interdisciplinary practice explores the interpretation, regulation and discipline of queer and trans bodies. Between 2012 and 2016 they worked extensively with the Tom of Finland Foundation and its archives. Solo exhibitions have been held at Kunsthalle Basel (2023); LUMA, Arles (2021); Serpentine Galleries, London (2019); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2019); and Chisenhale Gallery, London (2015). Selected group exhibitions include the Whitney Biennale, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2024); 59th Venice Biennale (2022); and 13th Shanghai Biennale (2021).

  2. Images 1–3: Photography by Sarah Rainer.

    Images 4–6: P. Staff, The Foundation, 2015, film stills. Courtesy of the artist.

a pencil drawing depicting three tattooed sailors wearing swimming trunks and thongs playfully pushing each other into a pool

Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland

Exhibition