Nan Goldin's 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' Gets a London Show
With images chronicling the chaotic nights of downtown New York from 1973 to 1986.
Sweaty nightclubs, unfamiliar bedrooms and strangers’ sofas, this is downtown New York in a time long gone but still culturally resonant. Captured 40 years ago by photographer Nan Goldin in her photobook The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, the images will now be presented together by Gagosian at the Davies Street gallery in London, marking the first time the entire body of work is shown in the UK.
The genre-defining release celebrates its fourtieth anniversary with the showcase, shot between 1973 and 1986. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is a reflection of intimacy, gender and power, and is widely regarded as the photographer’s most important work to date. The images not only paint a vivid picture of New York but have also influenced visual culture globally, perfectly capturing the lives of young people. From late nights with friends to connections with random strangers, these are familiar moments that still ring true today.
Shot in the chaotic atmosphere of everyday spaces, Goldin’s raw approach challenged the status quo and took taboo imagery from the margins into the centre of contemporary art discourse. Genders, relationships and dancefloors were explored, with unpolished backdrops and subjects that seem unaware of the camera.
Goldin shared, “I don’t select people in order to photograph them; I photograph directly from my life. These pictures come out of relationships, not observation.” She adds, “To show The Ballad in its entirety forty years after I published the book is to reaffirm that desire for transformation and the difficulty of connection and coupling are still true to our world. I’m still impressed that generation after generation finds their own stories in The Ballad, keeping it alive.”
The exhibition opens on January 13, 2026. Head to the Gagosian website to find out more.
In other news, check out this exhibition celebrating 100 years of surrealism.
