Art Madrid'25 – 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.
 

 

 

 

 

 

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.


Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.


Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.


Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.


Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.