MJ Tom

MJ Tom https://mjtom.work MJ Tom Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:01:06 +0000 https://mjtom.work en Bio/CV https://mjtom.work/Bio-CV Sun, 15 May 2022 23:00:27 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Bio-CV <img width="2999" height="3000" width_o="2999" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2e07e76f11025464642690e081dbcd2badf5611d8ad7094e6f0962ee0d24d822/01.31.2020_Bound_LaneeBird_2I9A0118.jpg" data-mid="142679191" border="0" data-scale="54" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2e07e76f11025464642690e081dbcd2badf5611d8ad7094e6f0962ee0d24d822/01.31.2020_Bound_LaneeBird_2I9A0118.jpg" />BIO                MJ Tom (all pronouns, b. 1997) is an NYC-based artist and activist hailing from Houston, Texas. Their work is about the performance of intimacy, explored through digital landscapes, queer SM, sexual labor, ancestral ritual, conflict and more. They hold an MA in Arts Politics from NYU (2020) and a BA in Art History and International Relations from the University of Texas at Austin (2017). They and their work have appeared in various institutions and publications, such as MoMA PS1, the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the Performa Biennial, Refinery 29, the Nation, and more. MJT often organizes and performs under their villainous alter ego, Empress Wu.                 At parties, she likes asking couples how they met, and what their favorite thing is about each other. CV Bio blurb https://mjtom.work/Bio-blurb Sun, 15 May 2022 19:36:22 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Bio-blurb MJ Tom is an NYC-based interdisciplinary artist from Houston, TX interested in investigating alternative modes of kinship made possible via sex work, queer s/m, and digital landscapes.  Clout https://mjtom.work/Clout Sun, 15 May 2022 19:39:38 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Clout APPEARANCES Brown University SXSW Moma PS1 FEATURED IN Refinery29Rolling StoneViceDaily DotHuffington Postand more Personal Work Explainer https://mjtom.work/Personal-Work-Explainer Sun, 15 May 2022 22:27:23 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Personal-Work-Explainer 02 Personal Work (performance work made as an exploration/abstraction of themes I am personally interested in exploring). Living Document https://mjtom.work/Living-Document Tue, 07 Feb 2023 23:59:32 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Living-Document <img width="1481" height="868" width_o="1481" height_o="868" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/409b643ad5c2881cd6204301975a0a6245cb3b1ef21265ee9a8f204087eb25af/Frame-1.jpg" data-mid="167652199" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/409b643ad5c2881cd6204301975a0a6245cb3b1ef21265ee9a8f204087eb25af/Frame-1.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="869" width_o="1481" height_o="869" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6b8bbe6735870240f0eb71b693fce2e22a2ba3351c1ef7297b73abed534069f2/Frame-4.jpg" data-mid="167653026" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6b8bbe6735870240f0eb71b693fce2e22a2ba3351c1ef7297b73abed534069f2/Frame-4.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="868" width_o="1481" height_o="868" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9fa306e40c870eb046bcfa33775b13e6ab3d94bcf91ac55fe847cfa10fda26f0/Frame-3.jpg" data-mid="167665236" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9fa306e40c870eb046bcfa33775b13e6ab3d94bcf91ac55fe847cfa10fda26f0/Frame-3.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="868" width_o="1481" height_o="868" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ad2e4cf2a5d0bc8f60f441a4729edc04859030a8d8010a6999685e6307a8e816/Frame-2.jpg" data-mid="167665235" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ad2e4cf2a5d0bc8f60f441a4729edc04859030a8d8010a6999685e6307a8e816/Frame-2.jpg" /> Living Document Ongoing performance, zine 2021– 2024         Living Document is at its core, a romantic poem to MJT’s former partner, scalpelled into the bodies of herself, her friends, lovers, and clients. It is catalogued in a zine, and has be added to, subtracted from, rearranged as their relationship grows and changes over time.         Living Document utilizes BDSM and fetishistic practices to explore queer romance backwards and forwards in time. It illustrates how the love held between two people informs how each person loves others, aestheticized in the syntax of poetry and violence. “My love for my partner is demanding and rewarding. It requires regular feeding.”            Zines are printed in limited editions of 5. Zines are available for purchase for $300 per copy, or by submitting the body for a cutting for future iterations. Contract https://mjtom.work/Contract Tue, 07 Feb 2023 23:50:26 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Contract <img width="1481" height="982" width_o="1481" height_o="982" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/091ee5601e72477f67523d6858d5a67e805a8fe470a4448c30523a2ecee61a5a/Frame-12.jpg" data-mid="167665489" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/091ee5601e72477f67523d6858d5a67e805a8fe470a4448c30523a2ecee61a5a/Frame-12.jpg" /> <img width="1545" height="1024" width_o="1545" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/727d9abdffc4cb275d3364b1342a74a7276ba4936241ed6546043083524b5d7d/Copy-of-000800110024.jpg" data-mid="167652927" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/727d9abdffc4cb275d3364b1342a74a7276ba4936241ed6546043083524b5d7d/Copy-of-000800110024.jpg" /> <img width="1545" height="1024" width_o="1545" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6124c6836a1d19ea82a13f89a171e4722089acda433a79c17557853f675f753f/Copy-of-000366130034.jpg" data-mid="167652946" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6124c6836a1d19ea82a13f89a171e4722089acda433a79c17557853f675f753f/Copy-of-000366130034.jpg" /> The ContractWith Ione Wang Performance, written text 2021         The Contract was 10 week performance exploring the labor of artistic production and existential aestheticism through the framework of a BDSM dynamic, codified through an Artist/Dealer agreement. The two actors, The Dealer and the Artist, inhabit roles as the D-type and s-type, respectively; Artist produces, and Dealer is allowed to enforce production by any means necessary, including daily check-ins, isolation/confinement (termed “residencies”), physical violence, third party enforcers (”studio managers”), sleep deprivation, enforced wake-up times, and more.         The Contract was initially introduced as a long-term performance meant to exemplify the emotional sadomasochism the Artist associated with artmaking.         However, the following themes erupted as a result of The Contract. PerformanceRelational aestheticsLabor        The Contact ended with an exhibition in a strip club, during which the artist had to present her work to 6 of her closest friends as well as 3 dancers. Gone Fishing https://mjtom.work/Gone-Fishing Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:01:06 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Gone-Fishing <img width="1481" height="926" width_o="1481" height_o="926" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8e795ab298298e747de021765ed2b766c934591fc210ea2745a94efa67836791/Frame-13.jpg" data-mid="167665939" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8e795ab298298e747de021765ed2b766c934591fc210ea2745a94efa67836791/Frame-13.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="926" width_o="1481" height_o="926" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee5f747ed9e8eb41309d301b557bd36a25cd54433cdab36b9b5caddeb8eb3b1d/Frame-14.jpg" data-mid="167665940" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee5f747ed9e8eb41309d301b557bd36a25cd54433cdab36b9b5caddeb8eb3b1d/Frame-14.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="926" width_o="1481" height_o="926" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5fa36037c15ecadf90311769f7771854eee379802455e259449983fb5a051525/Frame-15.jpg" data-mid="167665941" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5fa36037c15ecadf90311769f7771854eee379802455e259449983fb5a051525/Frame-15.jpg" /> <img width="1481" height="926" width_o="1481" height_o="926" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/203a6b1063034307cecd204af9b17d170cc22e41baee9b9a7b5ea3e4ba4b6cb9/Frame-16.jpg" data-mid="167665942" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/203a6b1063034307cecd204af9b17d170cc22e41baee9b9a7b5ea3e4ba4b6cb9/Frame-16.jpg" /> Gone Fishing Performance, written text 2020         Performed and exhibited at E-viction, Gone Fishing explores themes of digital subjectivity and intellectual property. When notified of an online catfish using photos of her Empress Wu persona, Tom messaged the catfish from another account under the guise of an anonymous client who was not yet ready to book but very ready to waste time. It brought up so many questions: What is the essence of a persona? Is it her image? “How many hours had I, a Gemini, fantasized about having my own clone; these fantasies ranged from fucking them, to testing out cosmetic surgeries on them, to making them do all the administrative tasks that I found tedious. And here eas my catfish taking on marketing my image, one of my most exhausting tasks.” How often does one get to converse with their doppelganger? How often does one get to speak to the void wearing their face? What        During the performance, MJT sourced suggestions from 28-30 people to write a collectively sourced letter to the person using her photos to catfish. Desire Membrane https://mjtom.work/Desire-Membrane Sun, 15 May 2022 22:21:32 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Desire-Membrane <img width="3789" height="4388" width_o="3789" height_o="4388" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8a7e17ffe97f58cf169d091a23b55b96035d335660b4a951235bc21e1905ff27/_U7A0010-2.jpg" data-mid="142677116" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8a7e17ffe97f58cf169d091a23b55b96035d335660b4a951235bc21e1905ff27/_U7A0010-2.jpg" /> Desire Membrane or The Couple, after Louise Bourgeois Performance, photography 2018         During this hour of consciousness, the couple has requested to be collected a membrane all unto themselves, a cocoon to identify this moment of union and desire, and to give their present a formelessness, from which could emerge all possible forms.        A performative wedding, the enactment of a unification with an acknowledgement of its ephemerality. Monument to the Uncouple https://mjtom.work/Monument-to-the-Uncouple Sun, 15 May 2022 22:33:58 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Monument-to-the-Uncouple Monument to the Uncouple Performance, photography2019     A follow up to Desire Membrane (2018), Monument to the Uncouple (2019) was a performance of divorce. What is the difference between a monument and a memorial? In this work, I sought to explore what it means to deconstruct a union if that union isn’t ratified by the state. <img width="3456" height="5184" width_o="3456" height_o="5184" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0ab7c582427021a476dd343388bc32d11b278b75258a4c52746c9c3281016f36/_MG_3115.jpg" data-mid="142677610" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0ab7c582427021a476dd343388bc32d11b278b75258a4c52746c9c3281016f36/_MG_3115.jpg" /> <img width="2305" height="3457" width_o="2305" height_o="3457" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ab0714202b7227347cc3f707139dd14bdfd6899e125f25b89d62a81872c4d04b/_MG_3118.jpg" data-mid="142677611" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ab0714202b7227347cc3f707139dd14bdfd6899e125f25b89d62a81872c4d04b/_MG_3118.jpg" /> <img width="5184" height="3456" width_o="5184" height_o="3456" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c02f640ccc564a5a1233fb8a90044112c1a5ccaaa7fb150ead46086a8ba4cfd0/_MG_3128.jpg" data-mid="142677795" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c02f640ccc564a5a1233fb8a90044112c1a5ccaaa7fb150ead46086a8ba4cfd0/_MG_3128.jpg" /> <img width="5184" height="3456" width_o="5184" height_o="3456" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0c2a8dcf439e7c8c6d39cdca27ea932f92c370efaa01a0dee55b80e0ede1f114/_MG_3154.jpg" data-mid="142677801" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0c2a8dcf439e7c8c6d39cdca27ea932f92c370efaa01a0dee55b80e0ede1f114/_MG_3154.jpg" /> Construct a garment that has room for two bodiesDrive to the ocean, or a comparable body of waterStand at the mouth of the beachHold hands if your garment allowsStep forwardAnd then againAgainAgainHold only your head above waterAccommodate the taller of the twoAccommodate the shorter of the twoNegotiate whether the dress will be going above your heads or under your feetDon’t speakPull it offLeave it behind, floatingBegin walking back to shore <img width="5184" height="3456" width_o="5184" height_o="3456" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e81676c24dddc0d19ae961294456176aa78783b39f80f22f843b3db4210584f8/_MG_3191.jpg" data-mid="142677862" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e81676c24dddc0d19ae961294456176aa78783b39f80f22f843b3db4210584f8/_MG_3191.jpg" /> Collective Work Explainer https://mjtom.work/Collective-Work-Explainer Sun, 15 May 2022 21:11:09 +0000 MJ Tom https://mjtom.work/Collective-Work-Explainer 01 Collective Work (work completed as a core member of organizations).