518 W. 27th St.
In consideration of current events and as a precautionary measure for our health and the health of everyone around us, Aperture will be postponing this event. We will update this page with our rescheduled event date soon.
Aperture Foundation, in collaboration with Selina Chelsea, is pleased to present an artist talk with Alejandro Cartagena, celebrating Aperture magazine’s newest issue, “House & Home.”
For the past fourteen years, Cartagena has utilized landscape photography and portraiture to explore the suburbanization of Monterrey, Mexico, and discourses around homeownership. His photography not only showcases the sprawling number of small, colorful homes pushing up against the mountains of Monterrey, but also highlights the families making their lives there. His current exhibition at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, features Cartagena’s most recent work, a departure from vibrant landscapes and our perceptions of photographic narratives. After sifting through landfills for discarded photographs, Cartagena removed portions of the photos, whether a face or an entire group of people, altering the viewer’s perception of a given photograph’s meaning. Cartagena challenges viewers to consider elements beyond the immediate subject, and to develop our own meanings.
Alejandro Cartagena (born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1977) is a Mexican artist, who lives and works in Monterrey, Mexico. His work is part of public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, and JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, among others. Cartagena is a self-publisher and coeditor. His books include We Love Our Employees (2019), Los Sumergidos (2019), A Guide to Infrastructure and Corruption (2017), Rivers of Power (2016), Santa Barbara Return Jobs to US (2016), Before the War (2015), Carpoolers (2014), and Suburbia Mexicana (2010).
This event is in partnership with Selina Chelsea.
Embodying the Latin American roots of the brand and the artistic spirit of the neighborhood, Selina Chelsea is designed to create a bridge between Latin American and New York City’s cultures and communities. The property is a welcoming home that fosters meaningful connections for guests and locals alike by providing an accessible art gallery throughout the property, social connection spaces, and art-focused local partner programming
Lead funding for the “House & Home” issue of Aperture magazine is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Significant support for Aperture magazine is also provided by The Kanakia Foundation. Further generous support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Image: Alejandro Cartagena: Family walking back from store in Juárez suburb, 2009
