From the Los Ebanos Crossing

For her project Al Rio / To the River, of which From the Los Abanos Crossing is part, Leonard spent four years traveling through the borderlands, taking pictures with her handheld 35 mm camera. This series of photographs was taken when border patrol helicopters began circling a group of migrants close to where the artist was photographing. The series of 34 photographs is an entire roll of film (less 2 frames which were not exposed). The cinematic image sequence enables viewers to gain access to the artist’s conceptual exploration of observation itself, and how she is attuned to the choreographies of the border. The series also speaks powerfully to the generalized use of helicopters as surveillance and their militarized use as a response to peaceful protests in recent history.

Thirty-four rectangular, black-and-white photographs are arranged in a grid. Each frame depicts a small, dark helicopter against a pale, uniform sky. The helicopter appears at varying heights and angles, banking left or right as it moves across the sequence. Along the bottom edge of most photos, a dense, dark silhouette of leafy treetops creates a textured border. The aircraft's position and orientation change uniquely in every individual shot.

From the Los Ebanos Crossing

2019/2021

Zoe Leonard

(American, b. 1961)

America

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