Nan Goldin’s incredibly personal and emotionally potent photographs are major signposts in the recent history of photography, and have had an indelible influence on subsequent generations of photographers. Her photos also helped reveal our society’s deeply ingrained voyeuristic impulses. We are drawn to her photos not only because of their formal accomplishments, but also because of their raw, emotional power. With Scopophilia, her new show at Matthew Marks Gallery organized around our “love of looking,” Goldin tackles that voyeuristic need head-on. With a slideshow, an exhibition method intricately tied to her practice, and through prints, Goldin pairs her classic photos of love, death, sex, fun, and abuse, with images she took of painting and sculpture in the Louvre. This combination throws light on how viewers engage with her photographs as both art objects and documents, and questions our commitment to the crises (of AIDS, sexual abuse, and drug addiction) they depict. Goldin’s questions are arresting. As they become canonized, are her images elevated (or reduced) to the level of Titian’s paintings? Does that diminish their power? What was their power in the first place?
Nan Goldin: Scopophilia
Matthew Marks Gallery
October 29 – December 23, 2011
522 W 22 Street
New York
