First edition of Sangre Blanca by Mads Nissen (2026)

First impression

Medium format hardback in new condition.

19.9 x 25.5 cm

192 pages, 106 images

About

This new reportage book—Sangre Blanca—by award winning documentary photographer Mads Nissen (b.Denmark, 1979), his most significant body of work to date, delves into the murky depths of the cocaine trade, examining the human consequences along its journey—from the neglected countryside of Colombia to cartel lands of Mexico, to (c)raving consumers on a European dancefloor. The publication, with photos taken between 2016 and 2025, takes us across countries and continents over almost a decade.

The book is a collaboration with Colombian artist Juan Arreaza, whose paintings weave another visual voice and layer into the work. In his expressive oil paintings, Arreaza draws on his observations of nightlife across Europe and the United States, where young people party on the very substance that is devastating his homeland. And using chemicals sourced from cocaine laboratories, Arreaza portrays a gallery of powerful and historical figures who shaped the drug trade and its wars.

Through its intimate and multi-layered visual language, Sangre Blanca invites reflection on contemporary conditions such as escapism, hedonism, global inequality, and neocolonialism—while confronting the enduring question of user responsibility and the very nature of the war on drugs.