Ground Rules: Print & Book Set

Orders will ship November 1st.

Experience the socially incisive imagery of Alejandro Cartagena’s acclaimed Carpoolers series in an exclusive print and book set available from Aperture. This limited-edition set pairs two striking prints from Cartagena’s groundbreaking series with a signed copy of the artist’s first comprehensive survey, Ground Rules (Aperture, 2025)—offering a collectible and accessible entry point into one of contemporary photography’s most celebrated bodies of work.

Shot from an overpass in Monterrey, Mexico, Carpoolers shows workers crammed into the beds of pickup trucks, revealing powerful stories of labor, migration, and urban survival with stark beauty and quiet urgency. Cartagena’s eye for composition and narrative transforms everyday commutes into poignant reflections on economic systems and the human condition.

This special edition consists of two signed archival pigment prints and a copy of Ground Rules with specially designed colophon bookplate. This edition invites new and seasoned collectors alike to bring Cartagena’s vital work into their homes.

The proceeds from the sale of this limited-edition print and book set directly supports the artist and Aperture’s nonprofit publishing, educational, and public programs.

Alejandro Cartagena
Carpoolers #99 and Carpoolers #100 (2011–12)
Two archival pigment prints, accompanied by copy of Ground Rules with signed bespoke book plate
Image Size: 8 x 12 in.
Paper Size: 8 x 12 in.
Edition of 75 and 3 artist’s proofs
Signed and numbered by the artist
$400

Alejandro Cartagena (born in 1977, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is an artist and editor whose projects employ landscape and portraiture to examine social, urban, and environmental issues. Cartagena’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where his mid-career survey, Ground Rules, is presented in 2025; George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York; Patricia Conde Galería, Mexico City; Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris; and Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. His work is in the collections of museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Portland Art Museum, Oregon; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; George Eastman Museum; and Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California.