Human Cost

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

License to Kill

Liberate Tate, United Kingdom

License to Kill, 2012

In “License To Kill'' by Liberal Tate, there is a group of about 9-10 women dressed in all black with black cloth over their faces - all carrying large buckets of oil with the logo of BP displayed on them. These women then walk to the entrance of an art museum and empty the buckets of oil directly into the entrance area to make a statement on oil sponsorship in that museum as well as others. This art is encapsulating in its darkness seen in the dark black of the women’s clothes and in the dark black buckets of oil they carry - symbolizing not only oil, but the dark implications it has on the health of the world. This display of art brings faraway issues directly into people’s presence and brings light to the oil spill which affects everyone in the world, no matter the distance. Label by Callie Sties

License to Spill

Liberate Tate, United Kingdom

License to Spill, 2010

Liberate Tate’s performance protested British Petroleum (BP)’s sponsorship of Tate at a time when the corporation’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was ongoing. Artist- activists spilled “oil” throughout Tate Britain’s interior and exterior during its summer 2010 party in a series of performance moments. In this still, giant, discarded “oil” cans (or perhaps miniaturized oil barrels) emblazoned with BP’s logo sit in a slick of “oil” on the sidewalk. The logo’s bright greens and yellows and starburst shape evoke plants, flowers, and sunshine, a stark contrast to the jet black of the cans and now-painted concrete. Though minor in comparison to BP’s oil spill, the abandoned cans signal that this performance was not without ecological impact. In March 2016, Tate announced the end of BP sponsorship. Liberate Tate declared victory. Tate’s current sponsors include BMW, Microsoft, and airline Qantas. Label by Morgan Brittain

Toni & Bobbi

Liberate Tate, United Kingdom

Toni & Bobbi, 2010

Toni & Bobbi was a performance in which Mel Evans and Anna Feigenbaum entered Tate Britain and spilled oil-looking molasses on the floor and then ineffectively wiped up the mess while sporting BP ponchos. The series of still photos from a video shows the progression of events including the two girls being escorted out of the gallery. In each photo, the girls’ unapologetic air and countenance is apparent in Evans’s smile when she first spills the molasses to when she and her friend are chatting while being escorted out, looking unbothered. These film stills effectively capture the subjects’ passion in their protests as they remain unabashed while defying the social standards of a prestigious event. Label by Jordan Stofko