The photo book I chose to observe, research and take inspiration from primarily is The Ballad of Sexual Dependancy, by Nan Goldin.

Exhibition. Jun 11, 2016-Apr 16, 2017.

Details

Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 144
Publication date: 2012-10-31
Measurements: 10.28 x 9.37 x 0.73 inches
ISBN: 9781597112086

The Ballad of Sexual Dependancy by Nan Goldin was first produced in 1986, and is a photo book that holds over 700 images of the artist herself along with loved ones. Within the book, Goldin uses it as a diary to document the difficulties of intimacy, love and identity.

Nan Goldin was born in 1953 in Washington D.C. and was deeply affected by the suicide of her older sister, Barbara, at a young age. This early trauma shaped her artistic vision, as she later used photography to document moments of intimacy and connections between people. Goldin studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where she was introduced to photography and began capturing the lives of her friends, many of whom were part of the LGBTQ+ community, sex workers and drug abusers.

Goldin’s aesthetic is characterized by rich, warm colours, often enhanced by artificial lighting with a snapshot-like quality that gives her work an immediate unfiltered feel. The use of the flash in her photos creates a sense of realism, as it suggests that the photographer is interfering in a private moment. Overall, Nan Goldin’s work challenges societal norm by focusing on people and experiences often excluded from mainstream narratives.

The images in the photo book surround the theme of relationships, self-destruction and sub-cultural life. These themes influenced my focus on youth and femininity as Goldin shone light on similar narratives to what I am aiming to show, through capturing moments of vulnerability and reality without romanticisation. This immediately inspired me as the aim of my personal project is to show the reality of growing up as a young female, who has to follow specific expectations in order to be seen. I want to take a similar approach to Goldin by portraying an unfiltered and raw view on my key themes and apply them to my experiences.

Many of Goldin’s images address the domestic violence she has faced, showing and sharing her experience with millions of other women who have faced the same thing, especially since her images were taken between 1979 and 1986. This was a time where women were devalued and dehumanised, due to the firm gender inequalities in society at the time. Therefore, her photo book tells a story which portrays conflict and increases awareness of the issues happening at the time.

“In part a love poem to the bohemian life style of young people in New York City, it is also a melancholy meditation on the joys and terrors of romantic relationships, both straight and gay.” –The New York Times

This quote from The New York Times tells me that Goldin’s work is very inclusive when portraying love, through the end of the quote: “both straight and gay“. In the 1980s, LGBTQ relationships were not common and often removed from the mainstream culture, meaning that people of this culture would often keep quiet about their sexuality to conform to the societal norms. However, Goldin provided a realistic view on queer relationships. This is significant to me because through my photo book I am including aspects of female friendships and the importance of intimacy in them to develop healthy and comfortable bonds. “Joys and terrors” is a juxtaposing element in this quote that tells me Goldin incorporates both beauty and brutality in her work, showing she does not romanticise relationships as she focuses on the theme of love, yet also violence.

Image comparison between Justine Kurland and Nan Goldin:

Justine Kurland and Nan Goldin both explore themes of identity and challenge traditional stereotypes of females. The aesthetic of Goldin’s image in particular has a more spontaneous effect due to the chaotic scene and a less staged approach. This contrasts to Kurland’s image because we can clearly tell its staged due to the subject in the background observing the 3 subjects in the foreground. Another main difference between the two images is the lighting and colour. Kurland uses natural daylight, and reimagines her photographs in a mythical way as they are carefully composed and cinematic, whereas Nan Goldin’s image is capturing a moment as it is happening.