Now, for the first time, her work is receiving a comprehensive retrospective at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie. Designed by architect Hala Wardé, the exhibition transforms the museum’s upper hall into a series of pavilions, each tailored to a specific phase or theme in Goldin’s oeuvre. Together, these structures form a village of stories, creating a space where viewers can immerse themselves in her world.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1953, she is part of a generation whose experiences are characterized by the AIDS crisis and a world outside of normative society. Her work doesn’t shy away from the darker corners of existence. It lays bare the realities of drug addiction, self-destruction, and the weight of societal norms. She also intertwines her sister’s story with the myth of St. Barbara, the early Christian martyr, at the same time transforming it into a reflection of her own struggles and deepest conflicts.
Goldin’s images feel like fragments of memory, shot from the hip with a casual, almost careless precision. Viewed in slideshows, each image flickers on the screen just long enough to pull you in before the next arrives. There’s an urgency to absorb everything, not to miss a single detail. Goldin’s voice, her choice of music, and her conversations punctuate the slideshows, creating a layered narrative that’s as much about sound and rhythm as it is about visuals. The experience is dizzying, like a good headache. You come away transformed, having tasted, smelled, and lived in her moments.
It’s this raw intensity that has made Goldin one of the most influential artists of our time. In 2022, she received the Käthe Kollwitz Prize and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for her documentary „All the Beauty and the Bloodshed“. These honors joined a long list of accolades, including the Hasselblad Award, which she first received in 2007. Following successful runs in Stockholm and Amsterdam, the retrospective will continue to Milan and Paris, bringing Goldin’s art to an even wider audience and making it a truly European experience.
Exhibition: Nan Goldin – This Will Not End Well
Exhibition duration: 23.11.2024 till 06.04.2025
Address and contact:
Neue Nationalgalerie
Potsdamer Str. 50, 10785 Berlin
www.smb.museum