In this episode of Perfect Bound, we learn that Alejandro Cartagena still has the pen I lent him six years ago in the pocket of his winter coat. We also learn he has 35 book projects in mind to be developed and that he has been able to harness a personal, inner tension to inspire a life's work in photography.

Dominican-born photographer Alejandro Cartagena moved to Mexico, his mother’s birthplace, in 1990, and since then, he has developed a dynamic body of work exploring social, urban, and environmental issues, largely through the lens of the contemporary Mexican experience. His photographs frankly document new urban growth and altered landscapes—namely the proliferation of serially built homes and their ensuing environmental impact—on the outskirts of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area.