Emmet Gowin 1975

Curator: Here we have Mike Mandel’s photograph titled "Emmet Gowin" from 1975. What's grabbing your eye initially? Editor: Pure exuberance. The figure is mid-pitch, tongue out, and caught in this glorious moment of casual, almost defiant joy. It’s like a still from a silent comedy. Curator: It is a playful take. You see, the act of photographing someone is not merely capturing their image, but in this case, is almost invoking their spirit or personality through recognizable iconography. What strikes you about the props? Editor: I notice the baseball glove—the means of playfully contesting some opponent? It looks thick, heavily worn, the result of much labour and use. You wonder what its origins are. You can also speculate that the ball is about to arrive as a photograph. Curator: Consider the photograph as its own entity. In many societies the tongue gesture has ambiguous readings. Often symbolizing defiance, but is also widely recognized as mockery or childish behavior, and at other times associated with madness. Does Gowin, a recognized and accomplished photographer, intentionally mock portraiture by embracing the ridiculous? Editor: I’m curious about Mandel’s artistic production processes. Consider his series "People in books are heavier than air." How many of Mandel’s images, especially those portraying public figures, had a similar industrial scale print run that further saturated consumer culture? To what ends? Curator: Perhaps these were acts of radical intervention. To circulate unexpected imagery within the existing flows is akin to a shaman inserting symbols that subtly re-code dominant cultural beliefs. He is literally intervening into the system. Editor: I like that interpretation! The photo starts out presenting an off-kilter scene but gradually unfurls to reveal these multiple layers— the printing industry, the playful figure, symbols. I do admire its unassuming way of quietly prompting this layered reading of modern image production. Curator: It's quite fascinating how a seemingly simple portrait can offer a glimpse into how our symbolic worlds function.