Goldin’s is a spoof at Mickey Mouse’s expense. “CZ and Max on the Beach, Truro, MA” is a staged picnic of CZ and Max on a picnic cloth next to Mickey Mouse’s picture on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. Goldin seems to be suggesting that such outings are “mickey mouse”—an expression that suggests something is simple or dumb.
The photo is part of her photo gallery titled Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a visual diary of the artist and her friends.
Featured Image: Nan Goldin. CZ and Max on the Beach, Truro, Massachusetts (1976). Silver dye bleach print.