Alejandro Cartagena - Carpoolers
A unique perspective on daily life
Waking up at 4 AM, getting picked up, working long hours, and heading back. For many men in Monterrey, this is daily life. The Mexican border city attracts migrants on their way to the United States or those returning after being denied entry. Some stay and find jobs in construction.
From a pedestrian bridge over Highway 85, Alejandro Cartagena captures them in transit. His photos show dented pickup trucks heading into the city. But instead of building materials, the truck beds are packed with men in workwear. Some have made themselves as comfortable as they can, even falling asleep. While others sit in groups of six or more, squeezed between ladders and buckets.
“One way or another we are all migrants, we are all carpoolers.”
Through his work, Cartagena explores social, urban, and environmental issues, focusing on labor and migration in Latin America. In this video, he shares his perspective: everyone moves. Everyone has a reason to keep going, just like the carpoolers. But not everyone gets the same ride.
Carpoolers (2011 - 2012) is more than a series about transportation. It’s a reflection of inequality. Every day, these men travel hours from their fast-build homes to arrive in big city centers, where they construct luxury buildings that look nothing like the homes they return to at night.
All Directions
This artwork is part of the exhibition All Directions. In this exhibition you discover more about identity and happiness, about crossing borders and being forced to flee, about saying goodbye and coming home. Read more about All Directions.
