Nan Goldin in Berlin

Growing up in an upper-middle class Jewish family in the Boston suburb of Lexington, Nan Goldin got introduced to the camera at the age of 15 by one of her teachers. At the age of only 20 she already held her first solo show which channelled her journey through the gay and transsexual communities of Boston.

After graduating from college she moved to New York City where she developed an interest in the post-punk new-wave music scene and the hard drug subculture. Images of that time depicted drug use, violence, aggressive couples as well as autobiographical moments, from her sister’s early suicide to her experiences in a drug rehab clinic, and formed her famous work “the Ballad of Sexual Dependency.” The media has criticized her before for making drug-use appear glamourous but she has heavily denied such allegations and finds the use of the word “heroin-chic” in commercials and such “reprehensible and evil.”

The major themes in her early work were love, gender, domesticity, and sexuality, but since 1995 she widened her area to a broader set of schemes. In the early 90s she spent some time in Berlin and has often revisited the city since then. Starting on November 20th the Berlinische Galerie in the Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur will present an exhibition that shows Goldin’s personal image of Berlin. Fotographies from 1984 until 2009 give the viewer an insight into Goldin as a person and her surroundings. About 80 pictures, some never shown before, are organized chronologically and by topic.

Very typical for her is to show her work in “grids” or slideshows and of course they are not missing in this particular exhibition. Overall four slideshows will guide the viewer through time to provide a better understanding of Goldin. Don’t miss your chance to get to know Berlin through the eyes of Nan Goldin. The exhibition will be open until March 28th, 2011. To complete the experience rent an apartment in Berlin to see if you share her views.

Para más información: http://www.berlinischegalerie.de



Tags: Berlin Works, Berlinische Gallerie, exposition, Nan Goldin, photography