Return to Mexico - Journeys Beyond the Mask (signed)

The result of nine trips over a period of three years, "Return to Mexico" is a memorable document of a passionate adventure which reveals the contrast between an ancient, and often, primitive country, and the objects, the things that proclaim the 'modernity' of those who possess them. In Mexico - a country that was brutally conquered and then learned to mask its own culture - photographer Abbas traveled, photographing the country as if writing a novel, and keeping a journal as if taking snapshots.

Through both his photographs and excerpts from his personal daily journal, Abbas poignantly conveys the effect of Mexico's transition into a modern state, and also suggests the causes in their historical perspective. The eloquent introduction by Carlos Fuentes provides great insight into the understanding and appreciation of Abbas photographs.