Mike Bishop 1975

This photograph, Mike Bishop, by Mike Mandel, captures a portrait in monochrome. The greyscale palette, so typical of photography, highlights the nuances of tone and texture; it’s a study of light and shadow. Look at the texture, rendered in photographic grain: the weave of the fabric of the baseball cap, the leather of the glove. The subject’s sunglasses reflect the world back, obscuring his gaze and emphasizing the surface of the image. It's like the photograph is playing a game of smoke and mirrors, revealing and concealing simultaneously. The text at the bottom of the image is laid on top of the original picture plane. It feels both connected and disconnected to the main image. This work reminds me of the deadpan aesthetic of Ed Ruscha. Both artists share a playful, almost nonchalant approach to image-making, suggesting that sometimes the most profound statements are made with a wink. There’s a quiet subversiveness at play here, a subtle invitation to question the image and our own assumptions about it.