East Jesus, Untitled.

A body remains,
but the face is gone.

What remains feels strangely permanent.

#eastjesus #slabcity #blackandwhitephotography #artist #photographer

A Miss Kim mannequin transformed into something amazing.

I captured this image on one of my many trips to East Jesus.

#blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #eastjesus #slabcity #artist

Two very old cargo trucks sit in the desert painted over many times with house paint for folkart displays.

"Repent! The End Is Near!(Salvation Mountain near Slab City, #California) #TravelThursday #travel #photography #travelphotography #stories #folkart #slabcity

Description in ALT Text

One of my favorite shots from my first trip to East Jesus over 10 years ago.

Some installations come and go. Others change. I’m glad I was able to capture this one. Love this place.

#photography #artist #eastjesus #slabcity #blackandwhitephotography

I’m a sucker for dolls, mannequins, and masks.

You ever look at them and feel like they’re looking back? Just me huh? Weirdo!

East Jesus, April 2024.

#blackandwhitephotography #eastjesus #slabcity #contemporaryphotography #artist

I've wanted to visit #SlabCity for many years. Maybe this will be my year as l9ng as 26 isn't an asshole like 25 was youtu.be/Y-oLHpbmiJo?...

Will I make it back to East Jesus in 2026? I hope so. Who’s down for a road trip to the desert?

Untitled, East Jesus, 2022

#eastjesus #slabcity #contemporaryphotography #colorphotography #keepitweird

The greeting sign at Slab City with Salvation mountain in the background. #photography #slabcity #salvationmountain #nomad

Two CRT televisions sit on the ground in the desert with "say their names" painted on the screens in white and colorful paint splattered on the ground. 📷 Nikon D3300

Some (sadly evergreen) #art from #eastjesus.

#desert #california #slabcity #photography #photosky

Check out these images from my series “East Jesus” that I’ve taken over the years.

You can see the complete series on my website. Link in bio. (DaleMateo.com)

#EastJesus #contemporaryphotography #colorphotography #slabcity #moodyphotography

A graffiti covered car sits under the shadow of a tree next to a dirt road in the desert. The burned out shell of another sits farther down. 📷 Nikon D3300

More car trouble.

#desert #california #slabcity #abandoned #photography #photosky

So we did the #SlabCity thing for a month. I'd highly recommend spaceport and skatepark for LGBT peeps. Avoid flamingo at all costs though. They are the worst camp there. They've caused the death of multiple trans people, stabbed another multiple times, and tried to kidnap and kill my partner.

These were taken in East Jesus, Slab City.

It’s a place that feels like the end of the road and the beginning of something else. I keep coming back, camera in hand, trying to understand why it feels like home.

#EastJesus #SlabCity #ContemporaryPhotography #ContemporaryArt #ColorPhotography

A desert saint, crowned by faith, rust, and sunlight.

Untitled, East Jesus, 2025

#EastJesus #SlabCity #ColorPhotography #ContemporaryPhotography #FineArt

A week full of Los Angeles road trip videos starts at Bombay Beach and Slab City!

www.youtube.com/@1000RoadTrips
www.taking-the-brick.com
www.LAFilmLocationsTour.com

#roadtrips #California #TheSaltonSea #BombayBeach #SlabCity

A open air stage/bar in the middle of the desert, an empty dirt parking lot in the foreground and an overcast sky. 📷 Pentax K1000 🎞 Ilford HP5 400

Anyway, here's a shot of The Range, which does a big Saturday night, although I was never there for one.

I stayed at the Ponderosa and did make sure I was there for Tuesday chili night. Even had vegan chili. 👍

#desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

A small sandy wall completely covered in colorful paint with a large heart in the center and "God is love" and then some stuff about Jesus. There's a thin white cross standing above it in a clear blue sky. 📷 Nikon D3300

Same basic photo, only on film, and there are some wispy clouds. 📷 Pentax K1000 🎞 Ilford FP4 125

So this is like THE place to visit for social media. It's just paint on the sand, and one guy did it all. I don't get down with the God stuff, but very cool, worth a trip.

#desert #california #slabcity #salvationmountain #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

On the desert sand, a decaying statue of a soldier sits slumped over, with a machine gun and American flag between his knees. In the background, a television set with "black lives matter" painted on the screen is visible.

Another #art.

#desert #california #slabcity #eastjesus #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

📷 Pentax K1000
🎞 Ilford PANF 50

A plywood sign in the shape of a rocketship on the edge of a dirt road with a line of desert scrub behind it. The sun above is casting a long shadow onto the road on the foreground.

Sign for Spaceport 42, Slab City, California.

#desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

📷 Pentax K1000
🎞 Ilford HP5 400

A closer portrait shot from the front with the mannequin casting a shadow onto the bottle wall behind it.

In color.

#art #eastjesus #desert #california #slabcity #photography #photosky

📷 Nikon D3300

A female mannequin holds out a baby mannequin; her head is a Facebook "thumbs up" and the baby has a "like" banner above it with "❤️ 753K (and 1 follow)". A wall of bottles curves behind her, illuminated by the sun.

Another #art from #eastjesus.

#desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

📷 Pentax K1000
🎞 Ilford PANF 50

Color version.

And the color version from earlier in the day.

#eastjesus #desert #california #slabcity #photography #photosky

📷 Nikon D3300

A padded chair sits on the sand in front of a wall of televisions, all of the screens painted white with words, including: bow before your gods, blah, the television will not be revolutionized, democrats are evil, republicans are evil, you're fat, don't be yourself...

Here's one of the quintessential shots from the #eastjesus art gallery.

#desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

📷 Pentax K1000
🎞 Ilford PANF 50

View from the inside of an abandoned swimming pool in the middle of the desert. The walls are completely covered in graffiti, elaborate tags. The van and a tree are just outside of the pool.

Another view looking the opposite direction. Tags cover the bottom and the walls, while plywood ramps sit farther back. Scraggly bushes are creeping over the wall.

A couple more, both from the second year as you can see the van 👆 in the one on the left. The one on the right was the final frame on the roll and had to be trimmed.

#skatepark #desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

Miscellaneous debris is strewn around on concrete slabs in the desert. "Skate park" and a skateboard are painted on a round metal drum. A plywood ramp in the background leans against a building made of wooden pallets.

The "skate park" drum has been moved to the sand. A dilapidated couch sits behind it. A tree stands in front of the abandoned swimming pool that's the skate park with plywood ramps throughout and graffiti on the walls.

As you can probably tell, 👆 the van is at the #skatepark.

#desert #california #slabcity #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

An abandoned burned-out van sits on a cement slab in front of burned debris and the charred remains of two trees. A man in a checkered shirt falling back and shooting a gun has been spraypainted on the van with the words "fear god" along with artist tags.

The same van has been painted with large letters on the side, but the "fear god" is still visible. The rest is not, as homemade plywood skate ramps lean against the side. The burned debris has been cleared away, piled around the remains of the trees.

Here's another "different year, same shot."

#desert #california #slabcity #abandoned #filmphotography #blackandwhite #photography #photosky

📷 Pentax K1000
🎞 Ilford HP5 400 (L), FP4+ 125 (R)

LOVE this place!! If you’ve never been, you gotta go and check it out and support the artists out there!!
The House of Dots is really amazing!!
#slabcity #saltonsea #gayadventures #gaystuff #gayguys #respect #love

Photo of a "Scrapper" sitting in his scrap converted VW beetle, with his wife standing next to him outside the car.

Great documentary about people that hunt for scrap at the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range in Southern California near Salton Sea.

📽️Scrapper AKA Of Bombs And Men, Range Runner (2011)📽️

▶️ youtu.be/I4pFat3VTkI

#SaltonSea #Bombing #Scrap #Scavengers ##BombayBeach #SlabCity

Sun dried doll parts adorn an abandoned automobile in the California desert, Slab City.

Sun baked Barbie Dolls and discarded CD’s make for surface art on an abandoned car

#Pieces creatively assembled into works of provocative #Art to begin a new life and a transition into a greater #whole
#BlueSkyArtShow

#SlabCity #Photography #Barbie
#houseofdots