Nan Goldin - The Ballad of Sexual Dependency at Hamburg’s Sommerfestival
Published on 08/22/2026 at 16:07 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Nan Goldin brings her seminal slideshow The Ballad of Sexual Dependency back to Hamburg’s Kampnagel for the Internationales Sommerfestival 2026. As Kampnagel details, the 42-minute presentation with 694 slides and soundtrack runs on multiple days from August 5 to 23, 2026 in a purpose-built cinema space.Kampnagel programme information
The Hamburg slideshow screenings
The Kampnagel programme lists The Ballad of Sexual Dependency as part of the visual arts strand of the Internationales Sommerfestival 2026, presented in the venue’s Vorhalle in a specially constructed screening room.Kampnagel programme information The slideshow is described as one of the key works in the history of photography, drawn from the Hamburger Kunsthalle collection.
Screening times are spread across several blocks in August, including daily slots between August 19 and 22, 2026 at 5:15 PM, 6:15 PM, 10:15 PM and 11:15 PM, before a final cluster on August 23 in the evening.Kampnagel programme information Tickets are advertised at 6 euros, with a 50 percent reduction for festival card holders.
The work series and its legacy
Kampnagel characterizes The Ballad of Sexual Dependency as a legendary visual diary that captures the life and death of an entire generation through intimate images of Goldin’s friends, lovers and club communities from the late 1970s onward.Kampnagel programme information The slideshow moves from Boston to Berlin, mapping the artist’s chosen family in saturated color and grainy flash.
The Victoria and Albert Museum notes that a photograph of drag performer Misty from this series exemplifies Goldin’s approach, situating her as a pioneer of diaristic, community-oriented photography within the broader work group The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.V&A article on Nan Goldin and René Matíc The series has influenced younger artists working on themes of queer kinship and chosen families.
All news and background on Nan Goldin
For further coverage of Nan Goldin’s exhibitions, screenings and institutional collaborations, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers reports on her retrospectives, commissions and activism.
The practice behind the images
Nan Goldin works primarily with photography and moving-image slide projections, often combining hundreds of 35mm slides with music to create time-based installations that she calls films composed of photos.Grand Palais exhibition overview Her studio practice has long been rooted between New York and Europe, with sustained collaborations in institutional settings.
Key work groups include The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, the slideshow Memory Lost, the moving-image commission Stendhal Syndrome and the touring retrospective project This Will Not End Well that focuses on videos and slideshows.Grand Palais feature on Nan Goldin works Her material vocabulary relies on analog slides, saturated color and intimate portraiture.
Where the artist stands now
Nan Goldin’s slideshow The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is on view at Kampnagel’s Internationales Sommerfestival 2026 in Hamburg through August 23, 2026, with multiple daily screenings listed in the festival programme.Kampnagel programme information
Key facts on Nan Goldin
- Artist: Nan Goldin
- Medium / Genre: Photography and moving-image slideshows (documentary and diaristic)
- Born: 1953, Washington, D.C., United States
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice between New York and various European cities
- Active since: Late 1970s, with early slideshows of friends and club scenes
- Key work groups: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, This Will Not End Well, Memory Lost, Stendhal Syndrome
- Current/last exhibition: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency screenings, Internationales Sommerfestival 2026, Kampnagel Hamburg, August 5-23, 2026
- Major collections: Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg), Museum of Modern Art (New York), Tate (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Moderna Museet (Stockholm)
- Awards: Hasselblad Award (2007)
- Next date: Screenings of The Ballad of Sexual Dependency at Kampnagel Hamburg through August 23, 2026
Frequently asked questions about Nan Goldin
Where can I see Nan Goldin’s work in August 2026?
In August 2026, Nan Goldin’s slideshow The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is presented at Kampnagel’s Internationales Sommerfestival 2026 in Hamburg, with screenings scheduled between August 5 and 23, 2026.Kampnagel programme information
What defines the work group The Ballad of Sexual Dependency?
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is a 45-minute slideshow of 694 35mm slides with a soundtrack, depicting Goldin’s friends, lovers and nightlife communities from Boston to Berlin and often described as a visual diary of a generation.Kampnagel programme information
How has Nan Goldin influenced other artists?
The V&A highlights Goldin’s impact through works from The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, noting that younger artists such as René Matíc draw on her depiction of chosen family and queer communities in their own photographic practices.V&A article on Nan Goldin and René Matíc
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
