TOPE

Self-published photobook by Tofjan

Limited edition of 300 copies

TOPE was shot during a trip through Mexico in Oaxaca and Mexico City in February 2020.

Flashing images of vibrant streets, multi-layered landscapes filled with colors and textures and people, all beautifully juxtaposed, layer upon layer upon layer. When I think of Mexico, that is what I see. A kind of overwhelming, almost saturating display that you cannot take your eyes off of.

It is easy to get caught up in the fast pace of everyday life and overlook the mundane, as you are moving hastily from point A to B. But Mexico does not allow you to do that. Its roads, its traffic, its topes (or speed bumps) all seem to be there to remind you that you are on their time, not yours.

That is what TOPE stands for: an opportunity to slow down and stay vigilant not only of the random obstacles looming every stretch of the road but also of the seemingly ordinary events that unfold along the way. Once you are there, all of that chaos and those clashing elements come together in harmony under the striking Mexican
golden sunlight.

TOPE (Issue 1) is part of a 4-volume project set to be shot entirely in Mexico. Meant to resume once Covid restrictions subside, the idea behind this long-term endeavor is to develop a kind of visual journal to track the evolution of both the photographer’s work and the place’s identity dynamics.

Softcover, 330 × 268 mm, 48 pages

Photography by Tofjan
Editing by Catalina Echaurren
Printed by SYL L’art Gràfic in Barcelona