Carl Chiarenza 1975

Mike Mandel made this small black and white photograph, titled Carl Chiarenza. I imagine Mandel looking at Carl with generosity and curiosity. The high contrast emphasizes Carl’s dark beard and the lettering above him. The way Carl grips the bat with his fist makes me think of someone building something, maybe a house or a garden. It feels like a gesture full of potential energy. I imagine Mike thinking about what images get circulated, what gestures get repeated, and how to create a moment of open-endedness. It's almost like he's saying, "Here's Carl, what do you make of him? What will you build with him?" It reminds me that art is not a closed conversation but a continuous exchange across time. We see an image, interpret it, and create our own meaning from it. It’s a beautiful cycle of inspiration and creativity.