Gagosian is set to present a major Nan Goldin exhibition at its Davies Street gallery in London from January 13th to March 21st, 2026. This presentation brings together all 126 photographs from Goldin’s seminal photobook The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, marking the first time the complete series will be exhibited in the United Kingdom. The show coincides with the 40th anniversary of the book’s original publication, offering a unique opportunity to experience the work in its entirety.
A photographic diary of Downtown New York
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency serves as a striking photographic diary, chronicling the lives of Goldin and her friends between 1973 and 1986. Capturing moments of intimacy, gender dynamics, love, addiction, and the queer experience in downtown New York, Goldin’s images are both personal and universal. She has emphasized that her photographs “come out of relationships, not observation,” making this body of work a direct reflection of her life and the era she documented.
Nan Goldin’s iconic works on view
Among the 126 images, visitors will encounter intimate portraits taken in bars, apartments, and nightclubs, offering a raw, unfiltered view of her subjects’ lives. Scenes from her personal circle, including celebrations, confrontations, and quiet domestic moments, reveal the profound vulnerability and humanity at the heart of Goldin’s practice. Her signature chromatic and compositional style—vivid colors, candid framing, and unvarnished subject matter—reinforces the immersive power of this photographic diary.
This exhibition underscores Goldin’s influence on contemporary photography, showing how her work continues to inspire new generations of artists and photographers worldwide.
All photography courtesy of NAN GOLDIN
