Nan Goldin's 'This Will Not End Well' Retrospective at Grand Palais Paris Blends Film, Activism, and Intimate Narratives
The Grand Palais in Paris is currently hosting Nan Goldin's retrospective titled 'This Will Not End Well,' which will be open until June 21, 2026. This exhibition showcases her artistic vision through a combination of slideshows and videos, featuring five textile pavilions designed by Hala Wardé, highlighting works such as 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' (1981-2022) and 'Stendhal Syndrome' (2024). A separate display at Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière presents 'Sisters, Saints, Sibyls' (2004-2022). Goldin has been vocal about the Gaza conflict since October 7, 2023, connecting it to her family's past. During the inauguration at the Neue Nationalgalerie on November 22, 2024, she spoke on 'genocide in Gaza and Lebanon.' In 2017, she established P.A.I.N. and incorporates music into her films, including 'Gaza: Notes on a Genocide' (2023).
Key facts
- Nan Goldin's retrospective 'This Will Not End Well' is at the Grand Palais in Paris until June 21, 2026.
- The exhibition presents Goldin as a filmmaker through slideshows and videos, not just photographs.
- Scenographer Hala Wardé designed five textile pavilions in the Salon d'honneur for specific film works.
- An additional installation 'Sisters, Saints, Sibyls' is at the Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière.
- Goldin has used the exhibition as a political platform, condemning the Gaza conflict since October 7, 2023.
- She founded the activist group P.A.I.N. in 2017 to protest the Sackler family's role in the opioid crisis.
- The documentary 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' by Laura Poitras won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2022.
- Goldin describes her work as creating films from still images, allowing constant re-editing.
Entities
Artists
- Nan Goldin
- Hala Wardé
- Laura Poitras
Institutions
- Grand Palais
- Neue Nationalgalerie
- MET
- Guggenheim New York
- Louvre
- Tate Britain
- P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now)
- Purdue Pharma
- Venice Film Festival
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Gaza
- Lebanon
- Russia
- New York
- New Jersey