Mexico ― Between Life and Death

During fourteen trips between 1993 and 2010, Harvey Stein photographed in Mexico, primarily in small towns and villages and mostly during festivals (Day of the Dead, Easter, Independence Day) that highlight the country’s unique relationship to death, myth, ritual and religion. This book is the definitive expression of Stein’s intimate relationship with the people and culture of Mexico. The images show fragments of what Mexico is, a country of incredible contrasts and contradictions. Mexico is about piercing light and deep shadow, of stillness and quick explosiveness, of massive tradition and creeping progress, of great religious belief but with corruption as a way of life. It is a land of ritual and legend, of vibrant life and dancing skeletons, a country next to the United States yet so far away, and with over 50 percent of its population under 20 years old but where old age is revered. In these masterful photo series, Mexico – Between Life and Death Stein explores these unsettling disparities

Harvey Stein is a professional photographer, teacher, lecturer, author and curator based in New York City.He currently teaches at the International Center of Photography. Stein is a frequent lecturer on photography both in the United States and abroad. He is the Director of Photography at Umbrella Arts Gallery, located in the East Village of Manhattan. He has also been a member of the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, New School University, Drew University, Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Bridgeport. A recipient of a Creative Arts Public Service (CAPS) fellowship and numerous artist in residency grants, Stein’s seventh and latest book, Briefly Seen New York Street Life (Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.), was published in 2015. Other books of Stein’s photographs are Parallels: A Look at Twins, E.P. Dutton (1978); Artists Observed, Harry Abrams, Inc. (1986); Coney Island, W.W. Norton, Inc. (1998); Movimento: Glimpses of Italian Street Life, Gangemi Editore, Rome (2006), Coney Island 40 Years (Schiffer Publishing, 2011), and Harlem Street Portraits (Schiffer Publishing, 2013). Stein’s photographs and portfolios have been published in such periodicals as The New Yorker, Time, Life, Esquire, American Heritage, Smithsonian, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Glamour, Forbes, Psychology Today, Playboy, Harpers, Connoisseur, Art News, American Artist, New York, People, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, The Hopkins Review (cover) and all the major photo magazines, including Camera Arts, Black & White Magazine (cover), International Street Photographer, Shutterbug, Popular Photography, American Photo, Camera, Afterimage, PDN, Zoom, Rangefinder, Photo Metro, fotoMagazine (Germany), photo technique and View Camera. His work is represented by the Bruce Silverstein Gallery, Throckmorton Fine Art and June Bateman Fine Art, New York City. Stein’s photographs have been widely exhibited in the United States and Europe — 81 one-person and over 160 group shows to date.