The Chrysler Museum of Art Presents Altered Photographs That Remain Strikingly Familiar In An Exhibition of Work By Alejandro Cartagena

Alejandro Cartagena (Mexican, b. Dominican Republic, b. 1977), Detail from Family Vacation (after Roma) / Vacaciones familiares (después Roma), 2019, Altered gelatin silver print, Courtesy of the artist © Alejandro Cartagena

NORFOLK, Va. (July 13, 2020) – Through a process of construction, destruction and reconstruction, Alejandro Cartagena explores the formal and theoretical structures that shape the meaning of photographs. The Chrysler Museum of Art will present his recent work in Alejandro Cartagena: Photo Structure / Foto Estructura, on view Sept. 4, 2020–Jan. 3, 2021. The exhibition is co-organized by the Chrysler and George Eastman Museum of Rochester, N.Y. The show will include labels in English and Spanish as well as a bilingual audio guide.

“Alejandro Cartagena’s photographs appear at first as simple cut-outs and collages, but by simply manipulating the picture surface, Cartagena explores the entire structure of the medium and our relationship to it,” said Seth Feman, Ph.D., the Chrysler Museum’s Deputy Director of Art & Interpretation and Curator of Photography.

For his latest project, the artist sifted through landfills on the outskirts of Mexico City to collect thousands of discarded photographs — portraits, snapshots and tourist views. Using figures, faces and other details from the found photographs, he reconfigured the original compositions by either moving the cut fragments or removing them entirely. The altered photographs remain strangely whole and strikingly familiar, compelling the viewer to consider what gives a photograph meaning. His arrangements reveal that seemingly crucial aspects of an image are both central and incidental to our ability to understand the works. Cartagena’s projects employ landscape and portraiture as a means to examine social, urban and environmental issues.

“For years I’ve been collecting photographs… At some point, the images started to show themselves as a structure of… how society has used photography to dictate the way in which we should look in front of the camera….This body of work is an attempt to understand how that structure has been built…,” Cartagena said.

Cartagena lives and works in Monterrey in northeastern Mexico. His work has been exhibited internationally and is part of public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas and the George Eastman Museum. Cartagena is also a self-publisher and co-editor of photobooks and has been published internationally in magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times, Le Monde and The New Yorker. He is the recipient of several awards, including the international Photolucida Critical Mass Book Award, the Lente Latino award in Chile and the Premio IILA-FotoGrafia Award in Rome.

Programming

Virtual Art Matters

Friday, Oct. 9

10:30 a.m. │ Free

The Chrysler Museum invites individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners to engage with art during a tour of Alejandro Cartagena: Photo Structure / Foto Estructura. The exhibition features altered photographs that remain strangely whole and strikingly familiar, compelling the viewer to consider what gives a photograph meaning. This monthly program is presented in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association. To register, please call (800) 272-3900.

Live with… Alejandro Cartagena

Sunday, Dec. 13

2 p.m. │ Free for Museum members, $15 for non-members

Alejandro Cartagena’s latest body of work involves reconfiguring found photographs to examine what gives a photograph meaning. Learn more about his artworks on view at the Chrysler Museum when the artist joins Seth Feman, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Art & Interpretation and Curator of Photography, for the last installment of the Chrysler’s virtual artist talks series. Register at chrysler.org. The link to join the conversation will be sent with the confirmation email.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. The Museum has growing collections in many areas and mounts an ambitious schedule of visiting exhibitions and educational programs each season. The Chrysler has also been recognized nationally for its unique commitment to hospitality with its innovative gallery host program.

The Perry Glass Studio is a state-of-the-art facility on the Museum’s campus. The studio offers programming for aspiring and master artists alike in a variety of processes including glassblowing, fusing, flameworking, coldworking and neon.

In addition, the Chrysler Museum of Art administers the Moses Myers House, a historic house in downtown Norfolk, as well as the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. For more information on the Chrysler Museum of Art, visit chrysler.org.

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