Nan Goldin

Regarded as one of the most controversial and uncompromising modern photographers, Nan Goldin is an American artist with a career focused on provocative topics, including drag queens, sexual acts, and the pitfalls of drug dependency.

Biography of Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., and spent her childhood in the Boston suburb of Lexington. At around 13-14 years old, Goldin left home for good, seeking a new path at the Satya Community School. There, in 1968, she was introduced to her first camera by the daughter of philosopher Rollo May.

Captivated by the potential of photography, Goldin delved into its possibilities. Her early influences included Pop art movies Federico Fellini, Jack Smith, Guy Bourdin, and Helmut Newton. She also found inspiration in the pages of French and Italian editions of Vogue, particularly admiring the photography showcased in these magazines. As she explored the medium, Goldin's name began to gain recognition among photography enthusiasts in Massachusetts.

Goldin's first solo exhibition took place in Boston in 1973, focusing on her documentation of the city's marginalized gay and transsexual communities. Introduced to this alternative lifestyle by her friend David Armstrong, these communities became central to Goldin's artistic output.

It should be noted that Nan Goldin was not the only photographer working with the infamous drag queens. However, while many other artists were analyzing the psyche of the gay community or simply exposing them to the public, Goldin stood out for her admiration and celebration of their sexuality and bravery. 

Additionally, Goldin revealed that she was romantically in love with one of the drag queens who were her early subjects. This added an extra emotional and personal note to her photographs.

Soon, Goldin began living with the drag queens full-time, immersing herself completely in their everyday world. They not only became a crucial part of her career but also of her entire life, as she was wholly immersed in their world. This special bond was tested when Goldin enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to further her photography skills. Fortunately, one of her professors insisted she return to photograph the queens. Although this brought Goldin familiar joy, her resulting pictures were ultimately deemed inferior compared to her earlier, more honest work created during her extended stay with the gay individuals.

Despite this setback, Goldin graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University, in 1978, with a notable project focused largely on Cibachrome prints. Much of this work can be connected in some way to the Boston School of Photography.

Upon arriving in New York City, Goldin shifted her focus to documenting the post-punk new-wave music scene. Once again, she sought to immerse herself in a subculture, believing that the magic of her earlier work was directly tied to her deep involvement with her subjects.

Becoming part of the music scene also brought Goldin into direct contact with the city's vibrant post-Stonewall gay subculture of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period often regarded as pivotal in modern homosexual history. Additionally, Goldin was particularly drawn to the hard-drug subculture of the Bowery neighborhood. Many of these photographs were taken between 1979 and 1986, resulting in an impressive project titled "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency." 

Unfortunately, by the 1990s, most of the subjects from "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" had passed away due to AIDS and overdoses, as these were common and tragic outcomes for many of the addicts who were her close friends and frequently photographed subjects. Over fifteen years after its release, the impact of this project was recognized by The New York Times, which hailed it as a unique portrayal of the 80s subculture, unparalleled by any other photographic documentation. 

Throughout her career, Goldin has consistently preferred to showcase her work in the form of slideshows, believing that her images truly come to life when presented as a complete narrative. Because of this preference for slideshow presentations, Goldin's photos have often been featured at film festivals. One of her most famous exhibitions was a 45-minute-long collection featuring over 800 pictures.

In the more recent stages of her career, Goldin has ventured into installation art. In 2006, her exhibition, "Chasing a Ghost," premiered in New York, marking her first foray into installation. 

Nan Goldin continues to live and work in New York, United States.

Nan Goldin's Art Style

Nan Goldin's early works, which delved into themes of love, gender, domesticity, and sexuality, were typically shot using available light. In contrast, the more mature and darker subjects of her later career do not always share this characteristic.

Another recurring aspect of Goldin's art is her affectionate documentation of women looking into mirrors. This theme appears in many of her projects, with her capturing hundreds of subjects in this reflective pose. These compositions aim to transform private reflections into public journals — a consistent goal seen throughout Goldin's portfolio.

The artist's connection to both her subjects and her photographs is unique, as she explains in her book "Auto-Focus." Her images serve as a way to document the stories and intimate details of her own life and those closest to her. The book also delves into her uncompromising and unrelenting approach when capturing acts such as drug use, sex, violence, and heated arguments. It references one of her famous photographs, "Nan One Month After Being Battered," an iconic 1984 image depicting the artist with severe bruises on her face.

Since 1995, Goldin's work has spanned a wide array of subject matters. Some of her most impressive projects include a collaborative book with Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, depictions of New York City skylines, mysterious landscapes, and images of her lover, Siobhan. She also gained significant media attention for her photographs of babies, which focused on emphasizing parenthood and family life.

Goldin has also ventured into commercial fashion photography, often working with the Australian label Scanlan & Theodore and the Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta.