The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

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
photographer

Zoe Leonard

(American, b. 1961)
America
34 gelatin silver prints
Each: 35.6 x 50.5 cm (14 x 19 7/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.197
© Zoe Leonard
Location: 229B Contemporary

Did You Know?

These photographs were taken in Texas.

Description

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.
  • 2019–2021
    Collection of the artist
    2021–2025
    (Hauser & Wirth, New York, NY, December 8, 2025, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Leonard, Zoe, Musée d’art moderne Grand-Duc Jean, and Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris Section M.A.M. Zoe Leonard : Al Río = to the River. Edited by Tim Johnson. Berlin, Luxembourg: Hatje Cantz ; Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d’Art Moderne Grand Duc Jean, 2022.
    Fellah, Nadiah Rivera, William Griswold, Natalie Scenters-Zapico. Picturing the Border. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024. pp. 55-6
  • Picturing the Border. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 21, 2024–January 5, 2025).
  • {{cite web|title=From the Los Ebanos Crossing|url=false|author=Zoe Leonard|year=2019/2021|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.197