Liberate Tate, United Kingdom
Human Cost, 2011
Artists from the art activist organization, Liberate Tate, coordinated a performance, Human Cost, in the middle of the floor of an exhibition in the Duveen Gallery, Tate Britain. An individual from the activist group lay naked on the floor covering their face, while others, clothed in black and veiled by a black cloth, poured an oil-like substance over the nude body from a vibrant green gas canister labeled with BP’s logo. The liquid dripped down the body and puddled around them on the floor. The performance occurred on the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This staging occurred for 87 minutes, representing the 87 days oil poured into the ocean in addition to protesting BP’s sponsorship of Tate museum. Label by Elsa Rall