The striking artwork uses 1,000 liters of fake blood to confront the fossil fuel industry’s role in the climate crisis.
A Visual Protest in the Middle of the Sea
On August 13, climate activists from Greenpeace installed Anish Kapoor’s “BUTCHERED” on Shell’s Skiff platform in the North Sea, 45 nautical miles off Norfolk. The 12-by-8 meter canvas was drenched with a vivid red mixture of seawater, beetroot powder, and food-based dye — a symbolic wound meant to highlight the environmental destruction caused by oil and gas extraction.
Art as a Cry for Reparation
Kapoor describes the piece as a “visual scream” reflecting the butchery inflicted on the planet, particularly impacting marginalized communities. Greenpeace emphasized that the work represents collective grief over what has been lost, while demanding accountability and reparation from fossil fuel corporations.
Continuing a History of Climate Activism
This is believed to be the first fine artwork ever mounted on an active gas extraction platform. Kapoor’s stance against Big Oil isn’t new — in 2019, he joined dozens of British artists in urging London’s National Portrait Gallery to cut ties with BP after decades of sponsorship.
