Description

In 1989, Susan Meiselas documented the journey of Central and South American migrants trying to make the dangerous border crossing between Mexico and the United States. As Meiselas’ photographs show, many don’t make it and are sent back to the countries and conditions from which they were trying to escape. Pictured here, a “Drop site” off Interstate 5, California, USA.

Finding a photograph is often like picking up a piece from a jigsaw-puzzle box with the cover missing. There’s no sense of the whole. Each image is a mysterious part of something not yet revealed

Susan Meiselas
© Susan Meiselas | Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1948 and received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and her M.A. in visual education from Harvard University. Her first major photographic essay focused on the lives of women doing striptease at New England country fairs, culminating in the celebrated project, Carnival Strippers.

Meiselas is one of the world’s foremost documentary photographers, best known for her coverage of human rights issues in Latin America—notably the insurrection in Nicaragua—as well as her portraits of those living on the periphery of society. Meiselas joined Magnum in 1976.

© Susan Meiselas | Magnum Photos

Get Magnum news and updates directly to your inbox

Stay in touch
Monthly updates on the latest assignments, photographer projects and collaborations with brands.
Know when our quarterly 7-day square print sale is coming.
Learn about online and offline exhibitions, photography fairs, gallery events, plus fine print news and activities, on a monthly basis.
Get fortnightly tips and advice articles, find out about the latest workshops, free online events and on-demand courses.
Be the first to know about recent Magnum Shop drops. From new books and limited editions, to special offers, you can find it all on the weekly Magnum Shop newsletter.
Stay up to date every Thursday with Magnum photographers’ activities, new work, stories published on the Magnum website, and the latest offerings from our shop.