Nan Goldin. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

On the occasion of the the bicentenary of the invention of photography, the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation is exhibiting The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin, an iconic work held in the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. Created between 1973 and 1986, the 126 images The works that make up the collection address crucial issues such as gender, intimacy and power dynamics.

It began as a slide show accompanied by a musical soundtrack, The Ballad It was exhibited in clubs and public art spaces in New York before becoming the famous a book published by Aperture in 1986. On the occasion of his fortieth anniversary To mark the twenty-third reprint, the exhibition presents the entire body of photographs contained in the volume, a true milestone in the history of contemporary photography.

Goldin portrays his circle of loved ones by constructing the a collective portrait of an era. Originally conceived as an intimate invitation into the artist’s world, these photographs have, over time, become a profound testament to a “lost generation”. Conceived as “The diary I let others read”, the work stems from genuine, personal relationships, breaking down the boundaries between the public and the private spheres.

His extraordinary emotional closeness makes The Ballad a body of work that remains groundbreaking to this day, capable of revitalising the language of photography and influencing entire generations of artists and photographers.