Nan Goldin’s work signs the viewer up for a wild drug-induced ride through the 1980s. Heroin and love were the drugs of choice. Depicted in the exhibit’s main room was a selection of raw scenes of lust to loneliness. Goldin’s excellent manipulation of light allowed for sharp textures throughout each image, creating mini environments visitors could theoretically walk into. In Rise and Monty Kissing, you could feel the moment of walking through a crowded party, scanning the room, and spotting this scene laid out in front of you. Every image has this feeling of genuineness rooted in its raw lighting and composition. Many of the images were self-portraits of Nan, solo or including various lovers. With these scenes, viewers can gain a sense of connection with Nan through the episodes from her life she chooses to exhibit. We feel her pain and empathize with her story.

The other half of the MoMA exhibit included a 46-minute slideshow with partnering soundtrack. After sitting through a couple songs, its simple to see the strong relationship with the songs in the soundtrack and the images they presented. Each song’s lyrics and general tone transferred into that of their paired images. Long, emotion-filled rock songs with lyrics about sex, drugs and rock and roll paired with images of various partially absent individuals using heroin needles. Songs about female empowerment paired with images of early drag queens. With this interesting form of presentation, Goldin further allows viewers into her thoughts by providing them with a clue about her feelings on different aspects of her life through the songs chosen in this well formulated soundtrack.

In all, Goldin is inspiring in her ability to allow her audience into her head. She provides an experience that leaves viewers with a powerful insight into her story.