American photographer and activist Nan Goldin was declared the 2023 No. 1 most influential entity in art by ArtReview, an international magazine, in their annual Power 100 list. She has jumped up 7 places from her position in last year's list, placing at No. 8.
According to the publication, this iteration of the annual list is "dominated by artists who are using their platforms not just to discuss freedom but to practice it too," by actively partaking as catalysts for positive change through different means and mediums about timely and crucial issues that the world is dealing with.
It's worth noting, however, that political stance has no merit in the ranking as many of the individuals on the list occasionally clash in terms of the ideologies they're trying to champion. In short, the list's most valued attribute is the willingness to "move from theory to practice," within the core idea that "art exists as a part of the world, not apart from it."
Why Nan Goldin Topped the 2023 Power 100 List
One likely reason for Goldin's top seat is her initiative to stand up for her own and her contemporaries' right to support Palestine by signing a highly controversial open letter that was published by another international art magazine called Artforum, last October.
The publicized petition soon received a cavalcade of negative responses in light of the Hamas attack that happened on Oct. 7. Goldin told the New York Times that: "I have never lived through a more chilling period," adding that people around her were "being blacklisted" and "losing their jobs."
This steadfast resolve in her advocacy is not surprising for Goldin, as she represented and advocated the hopes and wishes of the marginalized, the minority, and the vulnerable throughout her work that spans over 40 years.
From championing LGBTQI+ rights during the AIDS epidemic to more recent and pressing issues surrounding the Gaza attacks, Goldin became a rallying voice for would-be and currently active artists yearning to speak against any controlling forces seeking to stop them, be it corporations, governments, or institutions like museums.
Individual Artists Dominating the Top 10 Spots in ArtReview's 2023 List
For the first time since the list's initial release, the top 10 spots are all occupied by artists sharing a common cause of personally pushing for a wider societal change and not just reverting to the "passenger seat" of bigger institutions like museums or galleries.
With the start and end of the historic COVID-19 pandemic, what came with it was a shift to pragmatic advocacy that sees more and more artists integrating political and social advocacies as part of their artistic identities, for better or for worse.
A quick rundown of the top 10 seats include the German filmmaker Hito Steyeri at No. 2; the Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanjia at No. 3; American artists Simone Leigh and Theaster Gates at No. 4 and No. 7 positions, respectively; British artists Isaac Julien and Steve McQueen at No. 5 and No. 8; Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama on No. 6; Chinese artist Cao Fei at No. 10; and finally, the Australian group of artists forming the Karrabing Film Collective placing at No. 9.
The deciding panel of the Power 100 list is made up of 40 anonymous art world insiders, all of whom consider three main criteria for inclusion: the entities' activities for the past 12 months, said activities' influence in the development of art, and the degree in which the entities' impact has been felt globally.
