Sunday 22 May 2011

Nan Goldin


Nan Goldin

Born in Washington DC 1853, shortly after her family moved to boston. At 14 her sister Barbara committed suicide, it was the disturbance from this unfortunate event that forced her to find comfort in her friends, creating an alternative family. After moving in with numberous foster families, Goldin enrolled in an alternative school called Satya community school, Lincoln Massachusetts. It was here that Nan met David Armstrong and Suzanne Fletcher, whom she photographed extensively, she did this so she wouldn’t lose her memory of them, as had happened with her sister. Goldin documents the relationships around her. By doing this she is in turn documenting herself, or rather a small part of her life that she sees. Goldin went on to produce an extensive amount of snapshots of her friends which would be presented as slides projected onto a wall at her exhibitions

Goldin's work is intimate and raw, creating a language between viewer and photographer. Her instamatic photos give familiarity and comfort for viewers, despite their explicit nature in some cases. Her work offers veracity something that even the most skilled photographer find difficult to achieve.





Photo: Nan and Brian in bed, New York City 1983 

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