Art Madrid'26 – The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Nan Goldin´s series at MoMA

 

 

"The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" are more than 700 portraits token in Boston, New York and Berlin between the late 70s and early 80s as an emotional and fragmented narrative about the intimacy, about sexual relations or not... between young with different personal, social and geographical origins... and is a landmark of contemporary photography.

 

 

 

 

The photographer Nan Goldin (Washington DC, 1953) found in New York the great theme of his work: the story of the emotional and sexual lives of a generation hit by the rock, drugs, and AIDS and, as a photographer documentary she decided to register this reality so close. She entitled the series as "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" inspired by the Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, a tribute to the lyricism of the street and survival. The Ballad by Goldin is also in its way, an opera dedicated to the downtown in which the protagonists are caught in intimate moments of love and loss, in moments of ecstasy and pain caused by the sex, drugs or violence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MoMA exhibition is presented with the original formats 35mm accompanied by an evocative soundtrack that includes the Undergroung Velvet or Maria Callas and as an appetizer, provides personal materials from the archives of the artist: posters, flyers, documentation of the numerous occasions that she had shown the Ballad series. 

 

 

 

 

During these months, also live performances will happen because, originally, the series was conceived as a performance in which, with the help of his friends and protagonists of the photos, Goldin would project her photos as slideshow to illustrate concerts of, among others, James Brown, Nina Simone, Charles Aznavour or Screaming 'Jay Hawkins.

 

Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency opened on June 11 and will be in the MoMA until 12 February 2017.
 

 

 

 

 

 



Did you feel like seeing more? Or would you simply like to come back? The 360º Virtual Tour of Art Madrid’26 is now available, allowing you to explore the entire fair from anywhere, at any time.

Stroll through each stand, pause in front of the works that interest you most, and rediscover those spaces you can only truly appreciate when you have all the time in the world. No rush—just the same light and atmosphere that made this edition so special.

To bring this immersive experience to life, we once again collaborated with Coke Riera Studio and Panotour technology. The result: over 4,000 photographs captured at key points throughout the fair, transformed into a high-quality interactive experience where every detail of each artwork is within reach of your screen.


We’re delighted to continue bringing contemporary art closer to everyone in this way. Now it’s your turn: EXPLORE IT and SHARE IT with anyone you think will enjoy it as much as you do.

There’s no better time to experience Art Madrid’26—whenever you want, wherever you are.