One paragraph reviews on art, movies, books, and pop culture by a know-nothing who knows it all

Friday, April 13, 2007

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Nan Goldin Colette Modeling in the Beauty Parade photograph"Sad, lonely, desperate." Those are the notes I made after I saw Nan Goldin's early '70s photographs of drag queens at Matthew Marks gallery. Goldin's work has never been considered a picker-upper; still, these 40 black and white images left me feeling drained and empty. People form these subcultures to connect and find joy, but they still can't escape who they are. It's hopeless. All the makeup, all the disguises, all the playacting to un-become yourself, tain't gonna happen. This show is an interesting little time capsule of another time and place, but it certainly won't put a spring in your step. (Images via Matthew Marks gallery)

Nan Goldin Ivy in the Boston Garden photograph
Nan Goldin Ivy with Wigstand

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