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Oil equals power and wealth. As a result, the Caspian Sea, situated between Asia and Europe, has been hotly contested for its vast petroleum reserves since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In her series Caspian, Chloe Dewe Matthews shows us a different side of “black gold”. Amidst a landscape disfigured by destructive mining techniques, the local people covet crude oil for its therapeutic qualities. In this photograph, a woman bathes in oil, hoping it will heal conditions like arthritis or psoriasis. Matthews captures the deep connection between the people, the land and its resources, under the dark shadow of the international oil trade.