American photographer Mike Mandel was greatly influenced by his childhood in the San Fernando Valley, which at the time was undergoing a major transformation into a commercial landscape. Living in a place that seemingly produced a new strip mall, billboard or stretch of freeway every week, Mandel was immersed in a society that was bombarded with imagery. Thus, Mandel’s work is largely informed by the pervading question: what is the meaning of photographic imagery within popular culture?
This exhibition, which is rife with nostalgia, features works from many of American photographer Mike Mandel’s cutting edge series including Myself: Timed Exposures, People in Cars, The Baseball-Photographer Trading Cards, Making Good Time and Evidence, one of the many collaborations done with artist Larry Sultan. It is on view at Robert Mann Gallery, in New York.
Seeking an answer to this question, Mandel looked to infuse meaning back into imagery through the appropriation of commercially successful ventures, such as billboards and baseball trading cards, transforming them into an artistic medium. Many of these projects were undertaken in collaboration with Larry Sultan, a relationship that would span over 25 years. Their book Evidence, 1977, was recently ranked second on a list of the Greatest 150 Photobooks. In the upcoming months the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will exhibit retrospectives of both Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel’s work.
Mike Mandel: Good 70s
May 11 to June 30, 2017
Robert Mann Gallery
525 W 26th St
New York, NY 10001
USA
