Interview: Bas Kosters about US Residency at Tom of Finland Foundation Los Angeles

Bas Kosters is a Dutch artist who works on projects in the field of fashion, design, print, and art. He recently was in residency at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles where he worked on several projects. Starting November 24th, his exhibition “Such delicate tenderness” will be on display at the Tom of Finland Foundation until December 22nd. We interviewed Bas Koster about his residency and new projects.

Interview Bas Kosters about his Residency at Tom of Finland

For our readers that are not familiar with your work yet, can you tell us something about yourself and your art?

‘I am an artist and designer, born and raised in Zutphen, The Netherlands. I run a studio in Amsterdam where we do projects in the field of fashion, design, print and art. I have a love for uniqueness, individuality and outspoken expressions, which translates in very personal and outspoken works, ranging from tapestries and drawings to fashion collections. I have a strong preference for vintage materials, and re-use old fabrics, but also papers like old envelopes for drawings which function as a base for my works. The last few years I have tried to broaden my practice with new ways of creating, more fluidly, and reflecting about emotional states of being. I have been trying to get as close as possible to what really moves me, and what I wish to bring to this world.’

You have been in a three-month residency at Tom of Finland Foundation. Can you tell us more about the Tom of Finland Foundation and how you came about the residency?

‘My work often embodies a sense of sensuality, or erotic notions. I felt the ambition to develop this part of my work further, so I started looking for a residency specified in erotic art. I came across the Tom of Finland foundation and sent in my application. The foundation is based in Los Angeles, which turned out to be absolutely great. The Tom of Finland foundation aims to preserve and cultivate erotic art by offering artist in residence periods at their base in Echo Park, L.A. Next to the Work of Tom of Finland, which was groundbreaking in its time, it preserves archives of past erotic artists and gives opportunities to new artists to connect with the knowledge and hospitality of the foundation.’

What has your residency at the Tom of Finland Foundation been like? Can you tell us more about the experience?

‘This experience is something that I will treasure forever. It’s the first time in my life I have traveled abroad so much and so long. It is a very new and free experience in which I wanted to develop my autonomous self, as an artist and as a person. It is a very valuable opportunity, which will lead to many new insights. I have been experimenting a lot, which is very rewarding, and I have been in a very free state of mind, which is awesome. This subject, erotic art, that I am working with is so specific, it is very nice to spend time on researching and trying out things, to get to a new step in this part of my work. All in all the residency has been very valuable to me on many levels, and also exciting. I have created a body of work here, of which I am very proud. It consist of several series investigating my own fascinations, but also the state of our community.’

What kind of work did you create at the Tom of Finland Foundation?

During my residency I reflected on different emotional and sexual aspects and layers of the world of the queer and lgbtq community.
I created series of drawings and tapestries, to strengthen and deepen my vision within my erotic art, fed by my personal experiences in Los Angeles.
For my final exhibition I created several new series of works next to a large number of single drawings and textiles.

– “Pink boys”, a series of 26 pink nudes in fountain pen and water color on collected ephemera
– “You are, therefore I am”, a series about the importance of community and safe space, resulted in 30 portraits based loosely on a drawing by Tom of Finland depicting a man with a leather hat.
– “Guidelines for responsible gay living” is a series of eight tapestries in digital print on cotton and wool embroidery.

The Tom of Finland Foundation is located in Los Angeles. Have you noticed any differences between living and working in the United States versus the Netherlands or other places you have resided?

‘I realized that who you are, and how you work is so intertwined with your whole being that on one hand working abroad still feels very comfortable and familiar, but it is very thrilling to be in a new place.
I also just spent two and a half months in Tokyo, so this year I got the chance to experience many different environments. I love the freedom of Los Angeles; it’s ambitious, diverse and very cool, it’s a happening place. Being in this new place is very vibrant. It is a marvelous chance to be able to experience this.’

You have done one very specific project titled “You are, therefore I am”. What is the idea behind this project and what was the process towards creating it?

‘One thing I noticed when I arrived at the foundation is that community is so important; we exist through our community. Connectivity is also very important to me. If we are conscious about the space we receive, we can also consciously create space for others. Tom of Finland was creating space for homosexual men to experience their sexuality and liberate themselves. The community I encountered when arriving in Los Angeles, and specifically at the foundation is very diverse, this was very inspiring to me. This community can exist through each others care and openness, that is why I created thirty portraits inspired by Tom’s original leather man portrait representing this liberated gender diverse community.’

Is there anything in particular that you learned or that inspired you during your residency that you might use in future art projects?

‘Working on your own in a new environment is very inspiring but also sometimes challenging. It gives you time to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting to be able to try out so many things, and look at things from many different angles; a good lesson for me is to create more space in my practice to do so. So to place yourself in a new context is something that I might want to try more often.’

Bas Kosters, ‘You are, therefore I am’

Bas Kosters on his exhibition “Such delicate tenderness”

In my work there is always a strange contrast between outspokenness and tenderness, childlike optimism, and provocative aesthetics. 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 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 the Tom of Finland foundation was truly magical. It is 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 am really excited to help shape the future landscape of erotic art, as it is one of my great interests. If with this I can contribute to people developing personaly and sexually, that would be a great outcome. For me my residency has been open and full of experiments, which lead 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 realized it is 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!

For my final exhibition I created several new series of works next to a large number of single drawings and textiles.

– “Pink boys”, a series of 26 pink nudes in fountain pen and water color on collected ephemera
– “You are, therefore I am”, a series about the importance of community and safe space, resulted in 30 portraits based loosely on a drawing by Tom of Finland depicting a man with a leather hat.
– “Guidelines for responsible gay living” is a series of eight tapestries in digital print on cotton and wool embroidery.

Invitation for Bas Kosters’ exhibition ‘such delicate tenderness’

Bas Kosters, ‘Enchanted’