ABOUT

First published in 1986, Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is a visual diary chronicling the struggles for intimacy and understanding among the friends and lovers whom Goldin describes as her tribe. These photographs depict a lifestyle that was visceral, charged and seething with raw appetite for living. Thirty-five years later, Goldin’s lush color photography and candid style still demand that the viewer encounter their profound intensity head on. The book’s influence on photography and other aesthetic realms has continued to grow, making it a classic of contemporary photography. In 2020, Aperture magazine returned to this iconic work with its “Ballads” issue, featuring an exclusive interview with Goldin and a portfolio of images curated by the artist and dedicated to her influences.