Nan Goldin: The Ballad Of Sexual Dependancy

Image: © Nan Goldin

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is excited to present Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency on loan from the National Gallery of Australian (NGA).

Opening on 2 March, the exhibition will make its Victorian debut in Ballarat as part of PHOTO 2024 a statewide international photo festival. Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is a highly anticipated exhibition.

Nan Goldin is an American artist whose work explores subcultures, moments of intimacy, the impacts of the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics on her communities, and photography as a tool for social activism. Goldin’s work is always born out of her own experience, and her deeply personal and candid portraiture acts as a visual autobiography. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency began life as a slide show and was published as a now-iconic book in 1986 that established Goldin as a major contemporary artist.

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March

Melbourne: 1 March – 25 May 2025. Featuring the work of approximately 60 artists, The Basement brings to light rare vintage prints from the 1960s – 1980s, from students and teachers of the College’s Diploma of Art & Design (Photography).

Perth: 15 Feb - 3 May 2025. de-centre re-centre highlights the strength and diversity of contemporary photography in Australia. The exhibition explores place and belonging in First Nations, diasporic and queer communities.

Melbourne: 28 March – 4 May 2025. Horan’s work thrives on contrast: the ordinary and extraordinary, rigid and fluid, playful and refined. Using materials like plastic, chrome, glass, and foodstuffs, she elevates the overlooked through precise composition and unexpected juxtapositions.

April

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Sydney: Until 30 June. The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Sydney: Until 15 May. Scott Perkins new series of expertly crafted landscape photographs and light boxes are located within photography and sculpture disciplines.

May

Melbourne: Opening 4 May 2-4pm. Then open until 25 May. An exhibition of the mature and recent work of photographer / artists who trained at the ground-breaking Prahran CAE, Melbourne in the 1970s and 80s.