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Matéa LeBeau 


wilsonistheworst

hand poked tattoos in
Brooklyn and Ithaca, NY

                                                       





Four Urban Oil Fields


2021

Screen prints on a nylon curtain and trash bags, dowel rod, monofilament

This installation piece was made soon after I learned about four hidden oil rigs in the Los Angeles area, where I was born and raised. Hiding in plain sight, these rigs have existed for years and were originally celebrated for their integration into the urban landscape. A windowless office building, a fake synagogue, a “Tower of Hope” and a shopping mall – these “buildings” are blatant manifestations of domestic colonialism and of the slow violence having been perpetuated on California residents for over 100 years. These four physical sites continue Los Angeles’s history as a hub for oil production, consumption, pollution, and facade.

“Los Angeles is, after all, known for crafting imaginative but believable illusions, both in and beyond Hollywood.” - Kurt Kohlstead for 99% Invisible