In this thesis, I examine two contemporary art exhibitions curated by the German research group Beauty of Oil, presented in Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and Brutus Rotterdam. The art exhibitions treat the...Show moreIn this thesis, I examine two contemporary art exhibitions curated by the German research group Beauty of Oil, presented in Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and Brutus Rotterdam. The art exhibitions treat the subject matter of petroleum and how the material has influenced our habits, belief systems and cultural values. I have anchored my research in the academic debate of energy humanities and petrocultures, in which questions are posed on the influence of petroleum and how we ought to rethink our energy consumption in the current climate crisis. I have argued that especially museums and other cultural institutions ought to engage explicitly with the debate on petroleum to reach the broader public. By working together with the audience, exhibition spaces can be considered to be a valuable and constructive asset to the discourse on the necessary energy transition.Show less