Alejandro Cartagena

A comprehensive survey of a prolific photographer who fearlessly charts the dreams and dystopias of Mexico today.

Ground Rules is the first comprehensive, fully bilingual survey charting the career of the prolific Mexico-based photographer Alejandro Cartagena. Celebrated for his photobooks Carpoolers (2015) and A Small Guide to Homeownership (2020), Cartagena is known for his formally engaging and socially incisive images that span the politics of the US-Mexico border, suburban sprawl, and the increasing wealth disparities in North America. Ground Rules deploys a diverse array of photographic formats, from documentary and collage to the appropriation of vernacular photographs and AI-generated imagery, all unified by Cartagena's commitment to addressing Mexico's most pressing social and environmental issues with humor and pathos.

Published to coincide with a mid-career solo exhibition at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from November 2025 through May 2026.