Nan Goldin: Why The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is So Important

nan goldin the ballad of sexual dependency why so important

Gagosian London is hosting an exhibition of all 126 photographs from Nan Goldin’s seminal work, "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency," to mark the 40th anniversary of the photobook's publication. The exhibition traces the evolution of the project from its origins as a DIY slideshow performance in New York nightclubs to its status as a cornerstone of contemporary photography, featuring intimate portraits of Goldin’s inner circle across New York, Berlin, and beyond.

art gallery of ontario curator resigns nan goldin

A senior curator and two collections committee volunteers have resigned from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) after the institution voted against acquiring a new slideshow work by artist Nan Goldin. The purchase was rejected by an 11-9 vote, with some committee members finding Goldin's November 2024 speech denouncing Israel's attacks on Gaza as genocide to be "offensive" and "antisemitic." Goldin had spoken at the Berlin opening of her traveling retrospective, expressing moral outrage and arguing that calling anti-Zionism antisemitic is a false equivalency. The AGO's modern and contemporary curator, John Zeppetelli, stepped down allegedly because of the incident, while the Vancouver Art Gallery and Walker Art Center proceeded with their part of the acquisition.

jay gorney modern art archives launch

The New York Gallery History Project, a partnership between Independent and Contemporary Art Library, has launched the digital archives of Jay Gorney Modern Art, a seminal New York gallery that operated from 1985 to 1998. The archive includes documentation of landmark exhibitions such as Lari Pittman's first New York solo show, Nan Goldin's first prints of "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" (1985), and shows by Catherine Opie, Barbara Bloom, and others. The project also collects material from other closed galleries like Foxy Production, Off Vendome, and Paradise Garage to preserve art history that might otherwise be lost.

Nan Goldin will present major London exhibition at the Hayward in 2026.

American artist and activist Nan Goldin will present a major exhibition titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong" at London's Hayward Gallery from November 24, 2026, through March 7, 2027. This marks her first institutional presentation in the U.K. since 2002 and will conclude the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year.

Hayward Gallery announces major Nan Goldin exhibition.

The Hayward Gallery in London has announced a major solo exhibition of American artist and activist Nan Goldin, titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong." Running from 24 November 2026 to 7 March 2027, the show will mark Goldin's first institutional exhibition in the UK since 2002, featuring her intimate photographs and slideshows that document personal relationships, addiction, and queer communities over five decades. The exhibition rounds off the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year and includes works such as "Flowers with cup and Gaja" (2024) and "Diana in the bath" (2024).

Six artists having a museum moment: Basquiat, Hockney, Bove, Brown, Wylie and Goldin

Six blue-chip artists are currently experiencing a significant wave of institutional recognition through major museum exhibitions across the globe. Cecily Brown is preparing for a homecoming solo show at London’s Serpentine South, while Jean-Michel Basquiat is the subject of a focused study on his works on paper at Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Other featured artists include David Hockney, who recently opened a massive 400-work retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, alongside Carol Bove, Rose Wylie, and Nan Goldin.

‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’: entire Nan Goldin series gets first-ever UK show

Gagosian gallery in London will present the first-ever UK exhibition of Nan Goldin's complete series 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' (126 prints, 1973-1986) at its Davies Street location from January 13 to March 21, 2025. Simultaneously, the gallery's Grosvenor Hill space will host 'Richard Avedon: Facing West,' featuring 21 portraits from Avedon's 'In the American West' series, including several unseen since 1985. Both exhibitions mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of the two landmark photography books.

Mounting Rene Matić’s snapshots in Perspex isn’t really enough to make them interesting | Charlotte Jansen

Rene Matić, at 29, became the youngest winner of the £30,000 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize, nominated for their solo exhibition "As Opposed to the Truth" at CCA Berlin. A smaller version of that show is now at the Photographers’ Gallery in London. Matić was also the youngest Turner Prize nominee last year. The article critiques Matić's work, praising their 2022 piece "Upon This Rock" for exploring masculinity, fatherhood, and British identity, but dismissing much of their other output—like the snapshot installation "Feelings Wheel"—as immature, mediocre, and reliant on display gimmicks rather than photographic substance.

Nan Goldin Gets a Major UK Moment with ‘You Never Did Anything Wrong’

The Hayward Gallery at London's Southbank Centre has announced 'You Never Did Anything Wrong,' Nan Goldin's first major UK exhibition in over 20 years. The show, on view from November 24, 2026, to March 7, 2027, will survey Goldin's autobiographical photography, highlighting her intimate depictions of love, loss, queer and post-punk communities, and her recent anti-war activism. The exhibition follows the UK debut of her opera 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' at Gagosian London earlier this year.

5* Art Openings in London this week.

Five major art openings are taking place in London this week, headlined by museum-scale gallery shows featuring Joseph Beuys, Nan Goldin, and Richard Avedon. Thaddaeus Ropac presents 'Bathtub for a Heroine,' the first UK exhibition focusing on Beuys' monumental sculpture, while Gagosian shows all 126 photographs from Goldin's 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' and Avedon's 'In the American West' series. The weekend culminates with Condo London, a city-wide collaborative exhibition linking 50 galleries across 23 spaces.

Exhibition in Abu Dhabi marks collaboration between Korean and Emirati institutions

A partnership exhibition titled "Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits" has opened at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, featuring 29 Korean contemporary artists from the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) collection. Organized with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), the show includes works by Nam June Paik, Haegue Yang, Lee Bul, and others, and runs until 30 June. A reciprocal exhibition of Emirati artists, "Intense Proximities," will open at SeMA in December 2025. The curators, Maya El Khalil and Kyung-hwan Yeo, chose to present each country's art scene separately to allow full appreciation on its own terms.