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.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

May

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. 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.

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

June

Melbourne: 5 March – 7 August 2026. Between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, artist and social documentary photographer Viva Gibb (1945-2017) documented the suburbs of North and West Melbourne, where she lived.

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

Brisbane: until 18 October 2026. Known affectionately as the ‘Cool Cat of journalism’ Wayne moved effortlessly among the greats, between the media and community, treating every encounter as part of his day’s work behind the lens.

Melbourne: 26 June – 2 August. Through analogue photographic processes, Dylan Negri aims to immortalised fragments of life that would otherwise disintegrate.

July

Sydney: Until 2 August. As the first survey exhibition of Tamara Dean’s career, this collection highlights the evolution of a major voice in Australian photomedia.