Neal Slavin 1975

This black and white image, created by Mike Mandel, is a portrait of Neal Slavin in the style of a baseball card. During the 1970s, Mandel, alongside Larry Sultan, explored American cultural landscapes through photography. This image encapsulates an era where the lines between commercial, folk and fine art blurred. Mandel appropriates the visual language of baseball cards, typically reserved for athletes, and applies it to an artist. This raises questions about visibility, value, and representation in the art world. The use of a baseball card format elevates Slavin, suggesting a level of cultural importance akin to sports figures. Note Slavin's confident stance with the bat and the shadow cast on the baseball bat. This portrait captures a moment that invites us to reflect on how artists construct their identities.