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Nan Goldin and Marco Maggi are two artists who definitely had no trouble shaking up the art world. They both were successful in making extreme, bold, and important statements in very subtle ways. I don’t think either of them was necessarily looking for success, but they found it through years of self-exploration and growth. The fact remains that if Maggi or Goldin had found success earlier in their lives, they may not have found inspiration in the process of their tremulous paths.
Nan Goldin’s work presents a new prospect for identity construction. Her body of work consists of hundreds of pictures of close friends and lovers, the life of a family documented like never before as seen in her most famous work The Ballad of Sexual Dependancy. The work consists of a growing slideshow of images of herself and her friends participating in various activities, from the most mundane to the most taboo. The presentation of these harshly intimate moments in the form of a seemingly everlasting slideshow forces the viewer to contemplate, sympathize, and in some ways pity the lives of Goldin and her entourage. She couldn’t have conceived that the photos she took over the course of decades would become a work of art, let alone one with such an impact. Her unpreparedness for success is, in many respects, what makes these photos so successful. Their raw, unabridged documentation of life engages viewers in a way few artists ever can.
In the case of Marco Maggi, his modest work on Reynold’s wrap or stacks of printer paper is very much dependent on presentation. Maggi himself relies on quite the contrary. Making art for him is more of a personal experience, a practice in which he rehearses on a daily basis. His exhibition space becomes important because his art is made from such humble materials and delicate craft that it would go unnoticed if not for occupying a gallery. But to Maggi’s benefit, it does, and for being placed in these spaces they become important enough for the most prestigious buyers. Like Goldin, his success seems a bit unprepared for. Unlike many of his contemporary peers, Maggi’s art reflects very quiet, almost inaudible statements of rebellion, disagreement, and refutation. There is no shock value, and no big, loud remarks to be found in his work. Instead, he chooses to ignore the parts of his environment that he opposes. By making work that is intentionally under the radar, he has accomplished a strong, ground-breaking career as an artist.
