SF MOMA, San Francisco

Alejandro Cartagena

Ground Rules

Nov 22, 2025 - Apr 19, 2026

Alejandro Cartagena - Ground Rules

Overview

"For Alejandro Cartagena, there is no such thing as a decisive moment."

- Shana Lopes

Alejandro Cartagena: Ground Rules is the first major retrospective of the acclaimed photographer, bringing together over two decades of his work through an expansive multi-series presentation.
Born in the Dominican Republic and based in Monterrey, Mexico, Cartagena explores pressing social and environmental issues through a striking range of photographic practices that includes documentary images, collage, appropriated vernacular photographs, and AI-generated video.
His work captures the complexities of suburban sprawl, the US-Mexico border, and increasing economic inequality. As visually dynamic as they are politically incisive, his photographs prompt viewers to question the systems that shape our world.
Though rooted in Mexico, Cartagena’s photographic series speak to shared global conditions of migration, environmental crisis, and unchecked development, offering a powerful reflection on the broader forces defining life in the 21st century.

Artworks

Inquire about Car Poolers #43 by Alejandro Cartagena

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Alejandro Cartagena

Car Poolers #43

Dimensions: 50.8x31.25 cm (20” x 12 1/8” in) ***(22”x 14 1/8” in) with white margin)

Medium: Archival Pigment print on Paper

Physical Edition: 10 + 3 AP

Provenance

Contract Address
Blockchain
Ethereum
Token Standard
ERC-721

Details

Medium
Archival Pigment print on Paper
Dimensions
50.8x31.25 cm (20” x 12 1/8” in) ***(22”x 14 1/8” in) with white margin)
Physical Edition
10 + 3 AP
Alejandro Cartagena: Ground Rules is the first major retrospective of the acclaimed photographer, bringing together over two decades of his work through an expansive multi-series presentation.
Born in the Dominican Republic and based in Monterrey, Mexico, Cartagena explores pressing social and environmental issues through a striking range of photographic practices that includes documentary images, collage, appropriated vernacular photographs, and AI-generated video.
His work captures the complexities of suburban sprawl, the US-Mexico border, and increasing economic inequality. As visually dynamic as they are politically incisive, his photographs prompt viewers to question the systems that shape our world.
Though rooted in Mexico, Cartagena’s photographic series speak to shared global conditions of migration, environmental crisis, and unchecked development, offering a powerful reflection on the broader forces defining life in the 21st century.