Alejandro Cartagena. Ground Rules
JUNE.06.2026 ──────── AUG.30.2026
Alejandro Cartagena
Suburban Bus #73, from the series Suburban Bus, 2016
Courtesy of the artist
© Alejandro Cartagena
Exhibition
JUNE.06.2026 ── AUG.30.2026
Where
Recoletos Exhibition Hall
Paseo Recoletos 23, 28004 Madrid
Opening hours:
Mondays (except holidays): 2 pm – 8 pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 am – 8 pm
Sunday and holidays: 11 am – 7 pm
*The evacuation of the hall starts 10 minutes before closing time. Last access (7:30 pm or 6:30 pm) only allows a 20 minutes tour to the exhibitions.
Closed:
December 25th, January 1st, 5th and 6th
Limited opening hours:
December 24th and 31st; January 5th:
11 am – 3 pm
General Ticket:
5 €
Free Admission time:
Mondays, 2 pm to 8 pm (except holidays)
Buses: 5 – 14 – 27 – 37 – 45 – 53 – 150
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Subway: Line 4 (Colón), line 2 (Banco de España) and line 5 (Chueca)
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Trains: C-2, C-7, C-8 and C-10
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Available online in Spanish and English. Online format, accessible via mobile without downloads or installations.
Included with the individual ticket. More information in the “Tickets” section.
Ramp for wheelchair access – The three floors of the hall are accessed by a generously-sized elevator.
Locker Service.
LAIE Tel. 911 703 851 fmapfre@laie.es
Press
To get the press kit or any other info, just reach out to our Press Office.
Ground Rules is the first major exhibition by photographer Alejandro Cartagena (1977): an in-depth survey spanning more than twenty years of the career of this Dominican-born artist based in Monterrey, the industrial megacity of northeastern Mexico.
Alejandro Cartagena is the author of a renowned body of work in which, rather than adhering to the traditional concept of the decisive moment, he turns to seriality and a diversity of viewpoints as languages through which to address different aspects of the social and territorial complexity of the Mexican context, his primary subject of interest. The artist explores themes such as migration, housing, the Mexico–United States border, and urban transformation, always from a critical and humanistic perspective, in work that rejects hierarchies among images and proposes visual constellations in which the collective takes precedence over the individual.
The exhibition brings together some of his best-known projects, such as Suburbia Mexicana, Carpoolers, and the border trilogy, in a proposal that highlights his ability to make visible pressing social and environmental issues. The exhibition’s title, Ground Rules, refers both to the creative constraints the artist sets for himself in each project —such as format, subject matter, or location— as well as to the social forces he engages with. In a constantly changing world, the artist invites us to question the rules that govern us and to imagine how they might be redrawn.
Curator: Shana Lopes.
Exhibition co-produced by Fundación Mapfre and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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Alejandro Cartagena. Ground Rules
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Tickets
Online sale of tickets will be available since May 25th
Individual Ticket (includes audio guide)
- Allows to visit Alejandro Cartagena. Ground Rules and Richard Avedon. In the American West, 1979-1984.
- GENERAL ADMISSION: €5 / REDUCED ADMISSION: €3 (Beneficiaries of reduced admission).
- FREE ADMISSION:
- General Free Admission (€0): Mondays (except holidays) from 2 pm to 8 pm.
- Free admission for eligible groups: Click here to see the groups entitled to free entry and how to obtain these tickets.
- AUDIO GUIDE: All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
- The audio guide is available online via the QR code provided in the room using a mobile device with internet access. If you don’t have mobile data, you can connect to the free Wi-Fi available in the hall.
- Please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included with your ticket. For sustainability reasons, we recommend that visitors bring their own. Headphones can be purchased (€1) during the online ticket purchase process or at the ticket office.
- IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
- If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.
Commented Tour
- Fundación Mapfre offers visitors free access to its team of cultural mediators to help them better understand and appreciate the photography exhibitions.
- During the times listed below, the mediation team will be on hand in the gallery to provide visitors, upon request, with brief explanations of various aspects (aesthetic, historical, etc.) of the exhibition to help them gain a more complete understanding of it.
- Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5:00-8:00 pm; Fridays and Saturdays: 12:00-2:00 pm and 5:00-8:00 pm; Sundays and Holidays: 12:00-2:00 pm.
- The commented tour is not offered in august.
- No additional cost upon ticket. Information at reception desk.
Mapfre Clients
- Mapfre offers to its policyholders 2 free tickets (4 if Platinum Client) for each exhibition season. To obtain courtesy tickets of Mapfre, access the online ticket office and follow the purchase process. Tickets are discounted at the end of the purchase process: before payment, the program will request your ID and will automatically activate the free tickets that correspond to you.
- You can also get them at the ticket office in the room, presenting your ID.
- Invitations must be used in a single visit.
- Any question you have, please check these simple instructions.
Collaborating Entities
- If you belong to any of the entities that collaborate with Fundación Mapfre, you must obtain your reduced ticket (€1 or €3) at the ticket office in the room.
Audio Guide (headphones)
- All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
- The audio guide is available online via the QR code provided in the room using a mobile device with internet access. If you don’t have mobile data, you can connect to the free Wi-Fi available in the hall.
- Please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included with your ticket. For sustainability reasons, we recommend that visitors bring their own. Headphones can be purchased (€1) during the online ticket purchase process or at the ticket office.
- IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
- If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.
Group Visit
- It’s mandatory for the Group Visit to have a guide or person in charge. To request a guide from the Foundation, ask please for information and rates to: cultura@fundacionmapfre.org
- The group must be made up of a minimum of 6 pax. a maximum of 15 pax (guide included).
- The use of an audio-guiding system is mandatory for the visit. If the group does not have its own, you must add it (€1/pax) during the online purchase process.
- Hours: MONDAY: 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm; TUESDAY, THURSDAY, and FRIDAY: 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. WEDNESDAY: 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. Maximum visit duration: 60 minutes.
- The formalization of the booking implies the acceptance of the Rules for the visit, especially those indicated for “Group Tour”.
€3/pax.
Schools
Educational activities for schools are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.
Families
Educational activities for families are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.
IMPORTANT: Before you start the ticket buying process, we strongly recommend that you take into account the following observations:
- Tickets changes or returns are not allowed except for justified force majeure.
- The purchase of tickets presupposes the acceptance of the Rules for the visit. We recommend reading it before entering the room.
- If your visit is scheduled for late in the afternoon, please remember that the room is cleared 10 minutes before closing time (7:50 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday; 6:50 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays).
- Fundación Mapfre is not responsible for the rates, schedules and other information applied on the websites of other entities where tickets for their exhibitions can be purchased.
- If the online ticket purchasing process is cancelled, suspended or cut off, please contact our support telephone numbers: +34 915 816 100 (attention exclusively during the opening hours of the exhibition hall).
- Other rates for eligible groups (44 KB)
If you need more information about the exhibition, you can see it here.
