John Benson 1975

Mike Mandel made this artist trading card titled 'John Benson' sometime in the 1970s. The materials used for the project are pretty straightforward: a photograph, likely mass-produced, and printed on card stock. What is interesting is how the work repurposes the format of baseball cards, typically vehicles for celebrating sports heroes, or even aspiring stars in the making. Instead, Mandel elevates the everyday individual to celebrity status, blurring the lines between fame and the ordinary. The choice of black and white photography lends a documentary feel, as if we’re examining a historical artifact. But the trading card format also suggests an element of commodification. It encourages us to consider the social and cultural values we place on individuals, and the way fame is manufactured and consumed. Ultimately, the use of mass production techniques for what would otherwise be considered fine art challenges our traditional notions of art, craftsmanship, and value.