Nan Goldin (b. 1953) has been a well-known name on both the American and international art scene for several decades. Her artistic practice reflects the intimate, glamorous, and authentic, portraying the struggles of life: the dark, mysterious, and hidden. Her subjects are wide-ranging, yet they all share a sense of closeness and intimacy that is difficult to ignore. In The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1983–2022), the project that became her breakthrough, viewers encounter beautiful transgender people partying in glamorous outfits and makeup, alongside several confronting self-portraits showing a bruised face.

In this lecture, we will explore how intimacy emerges in Goldin’s artistic practice and which visual strategies contribute to the viewer’s trust in the scenes she presents. What effect does this intimacy have on the viewer as an individual on the one hand, and as social critique and activism on the other?

Minka Salonen (b. 2000) is a Finnish-Norwegian art historian and literary scholar based in Oslo. She works with the communication and interpretation of both art and text, with a particular interest in photography and gender perspectives.

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In the Sunday Lectures, the museum’s own educators take a deeper look into artists represented in the collection. The lectures focus on individual artists, art historical movements, or thematic threads. By highlighting perspectives that there is not always room for in a regular guided tour, the lectures open up broader ways of viewing the art and the contexts in which the works exist.

The lecture takes place in the museum’s education room. Participation is included in the admission ticket (free for museum members).

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