Nan Goldin is a world-renowned Jewish-American photographer, contemporary artist, and social activist. She is famous for documenting the New York Lower East Side subcultures, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and her recent struggles against pharmaceutical giants, making her one of the most influential figures in contemporary photography.
Goldin’s masterpiece, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, redefined documentary photography with its raw, personal perspective. Recently, she founded P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), successfully pressuring top-tier art institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre to remove the Sackler family name (associated with the opioid crisis) from their wings. Her career is not merely about aesthetics; it is a model for using art to intervene in power structures and advocate for the marginalized and suffering.
Goldin is an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), resolutely linking her identity as an artist with the moral obligation to resist oppression. In late 2023, she announced the termination of her long-standing collaboration with Artforum and other art platforms to protest the censorship of pro-Palestinian voices. Goldin said at Rencontres d’Arles July 2025: “Anti-zionism has been totally conflated with antisemitism which is convenient for Israel. This has made the rise of real antisemitism more dangerous. Anti-zionism is weaponized to shut the mouth of anyone criticizing the violent actions of the Israeli government.” Leveraging her unshakeable status in the art world, she has provided significant international visibility for calls for a ceasefire and support for Palestinian self-determination.