Paul Pfeiffer produced this piece as part of his series Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, for which he mined the NBA photographic archives to create images digitally stripped of identifying information, such as team logos and jersey numbers. The series title refers to the woodcuts of Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer.

The original photograph depicts New York Knicks star Patrick Ewing. In Pfeiffer’s version, Ewing’s characteristic flattop is obfuscated in the halo of a bright overhead light. Positioned before a screaming crowd with arms spread wide, Ewing is transformed into a symbol of celebrity idolization. Against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and with most sporting events currently either cancelled or presented in empty arenas due to the pandemic, the image takes on new potency and significance.