 Drawing inspiration from transgressive photography of Robert Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, and sex radicals, who provided a space for liberals and feminists, Opie has also explored controversial topics and imagery in her work.In her "O" folio—6 photogravures from 1999—Opie photographed S-M porn images she took earlier for "On Our Backs," but as extreme close-ups.Opie's first film "The Modernist" (2017) is a tribute to French filmmaker Chris Marker's 1962 classic "La Jetée."