Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

“The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is the diary I let people read. My written diaries are private; they form a closed document of my world and allow me the distance to analyze it. My visual diary is public; it expands from its subjective basis with the input of other people. These pictures may be an invitation to my world, but they were taken so that I could see the people in them.” – Nan Goldin

Since the 1970s, Nan Goldin began documenting life in Boston, Provincetown, and New York’s Lower East Side, capturing the realities of punk and hippie culture, lovers in relationships and struggles, drag queens, drugs, and addiction. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency was first published as a book by Aperture in 1986. It is a photographic diary presenting over one hundred intimate images of Goldin with her subjects, depicting a lifestyle filled with heartfelt, vibrant, and raw desires for life.

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency series is a work that evolved from a slideshow format and is also politically engaged, addressing issues of gender politics and violence. Picnic on the Esplanade, Boston (1973) is a photograph of friends Goldin met in Boston having a picnic. This work is regarded as a declaration of Goldin’s future achievements, serving as a prelude to The Ballad of Sexual Dependency series.

Cookie Mueller’s presence also frequently appears throughout the series. From parties and weddings to children, Goldin documented Mueller’s life between 1976 and 1989, paying tribute to the time and friendship they shared. Goldin’s own private life is also revealed in the series, most notably in Nan One Month After Being Battered, in which her face is severely bruised, with one eye nearly swollen shut. This work stands as the ultimate example of photography as a means of survival and catharsis. Goldin has said that these photographs serve as an invitation into her world; she photographed them in order to truly see the people within it. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency series not only documents those she loved but also bears witness to the turbulent developments in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.