The Magnum Square Print sale returns. Once again, teaming up with Aperture, the photo collective is offering images which are tied to the theme “Crossings”, to “explore perspectives on transition and transformation in photography”.

Featuring over 100 images from photographers – both established and emerging – the sale offers 6x6 museum-quality prints, signed and estate stamped, for just $100. The catch? It’s for five days only.

From Nan Goldin’s battle with an opioid addiction to Tyler Mitchell’s exploration of black masculinity, and Alex Webb’s fascination with “transience and paradoxes”, Magnum describes that “The project will create an unprecedented visual dialogue, spanning depictions of physical crossings from one side to another – a road, a river, a border, an ocean”. As well as “the personal crossing that manifest in growth, revolt, mutation, and self-realisation, the voyages of the mind that have the power to spark change and transformation”.

Below, we look at the stories behind some of the images up for grabs.

JIM GOLDBERG ON “DAVE MAKING MUSCLES FOR HEATHER” (1988), FROM THE SERIES RAISED BY WOLVES. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

“I met Tweeky Dave on the streets of Hollywood in 1988 when I began working on Raised by Wolves. He was my link to a world that he understood so well – a life of rock and roll, drugs, living, and dying fast. Dave was unique in every way; he was exceptionally sharp but playful, reckless yet clairvoyant. He was a pillar in the homeless community and respected by all who were lucky enough to know him.”

NAN GOLDIN ON “DRUGS ON THE RUG” (2016). NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

“I was addicted to OxyContin for four years. I overdosed but I came back. I decided to make the personal political. I’ve started a group called P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) to address the opioid crisis. We are a group of artists, activists and addicts that believe in direct action. We target the Sackler family, who manufactured and pushed OxyContin, through the museums and universities that carry their name. We speak for the 250,000 bodies that no longer can.”

The proceeds from the sale of this print will help fund the work of P.A.I.N

TYLER MITCHELL ON “UNTITLED (TWINS)” (2016). BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

“This image was shot in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn. I set out with an image in my head of black masculine freedom emanating from the pictures. And specifically, a fictional image of black men having a full and free range of expression. This started with adorning these two twins, Torey and Khorey, in pearls, fabrics, and natural light to create a world where documentary and fantasy intersect.”

The proceeds from the sale of this print will go to Aperture Foundation

ALEX WEBB ON TIJUANA MEXICO (1995)

“I’ve long been fascinated by the transience and paradoxes of the US–Mexico border. Between 1975 and 2001, I crossed the border numerous times, photographing this unique region to try to make sense of it. Even though these two countries were culturally worlds apart, it sometimes seemed that the border region was a kind of third country between them – 2,000 miles long and 10 miles wide, a place where two countries meet, sometimes easily, sometimes roughly, and often with a confounding note of surrealism.

“Looking back, I realise that Crossings (2003), the book I made from this work, reflects the last days of a more porous border between the United States and Mexico, so different from today’s militarised border. In 1995, while walking through the outskirts of Tijuana, I was surprised to find this box of brightly coloured shoes, which seemed so out of place on this dusty, isolated embankment. I looked around for some kind of explanation. Was there a market here earlier – and these shoes left behind? Had women exchanged these high heels for more comfortable footwear, before heading to work in a nearby maquiladora? Or had the shoe vendor simply left during the hottest time of the day? In my bad Spanish, I asked a passer-by if he knew. The old man just shrugged his shoulders. To this day, this surreal scene remains a mystery.”

STEFAN RUIZ ON “CHUEY” (2011) FROM THE SERIES CHOLOBIANOS. MONTERREY, MEXICO

“This picture is from a series of portraits of Cholombianos, a subculture in Monterrey, Mexico. The name references Colombia, because of the members’ deep love for cumbia music. Cumbia, originally from the north coast of Colombia, has its roots in African, indigenous, and Spanish music. The cumbia rebajada they listened to is a slowed-down version, similar to how dub is a remix of reggae. The Cholombianos were distinguished not only by their music but also by their flamboyant hairstyles and unique fashion sense. The clothes they wore were a combination of American streetwear, Mexican religious iconography, and bits of traditional Colombian coastal dress. A lot of the clothes were handmade or hand-painted. The Cholombianos were ostracised in Monterrey, probably because they were from poor neighbourhoods and looked completely different from the rest of the community. This was a few years ago.

“At that time, Monterrey was a battleground for the drug routes to the USA; one of the cartels firebombed a casino, killing over 50 people. The scene has since disappeared from view, as these kids were targeted by police for their alleged roles as runners for the cartels. They were easy to spot because of their haircuts, so they stopped wearing them. The haircuts and incredible style of these kids still have a mythic life in Mexico, as viral memes online.”

MICK ROCK ON “DAVID BOWIE, LIFE ON MARS” (1973)

“David Bowie asked me to shoot a video for ‘Life on Mars?’ in 1973, for its release as a single, 18 months after it was first released on the album Hunky Dory. I photographed him in the Freddie Burretti suit he wore, with makeup by Pierre La Roche (who had styled him for the cover of Aladdin Sane). David never looked like this at any other time. He never wore that suit again, never had that makeup on again. He never looked more amazing-like a space doll. A couple of months after this, he famously retired the androgynous Ziggy Stardust character he’d created, on stage at Hammersmith Odeon, after which he started wearing a lot of tailored suits. This photograph catches him morphing from one look to another.”

MAHTAB HUSSAIN ON “ST. GEORGE’S CROSS, UNION JACK, AND TWO ASIANS” (2010). UK

“The United Kingdom, a union of nations forged centuries ago, and British identity too, is currently in a state of confusion as Brexit threatens; increasing pressure from growing white nationalism weighs heavily into the mess. Against this backdrop, I’ve been focused on photographing young Muslim men, second- and third-generation immigrants to the UK, who, caught in the crosshairs of traditional Islam and permissive British youth culture, are forging a distinct subculture of their own. These two men, standing as they do, symbolise the inevitable, that they too are the embodiment of the UK.”

Crossings, Magnum’s Square Print Sale in Partnership with Aperture, runs from 9 am EST Monday 29 October until midnight EST Friday 2 November 2018. Signed and estate stamped, museum quality, 6x6” prints from over 100 artists will exceptionally be available for $100, for five days only, here