Climate activists from Greenpeace installed a new artwork by Anish Kapoor on a Shell gas platform in the North Sea. Titled "BUTCHERED," the 12m by 8m canvas was attached to the platform and drenched with a blood-red liquid made from seawater, beetroot powder, and non-toxic pond dye to symbolize the environmental destruction caused by fossil fuel companies. The protest coincided with record-breaking heatwaves in Europe. Kapoor described the work as a tribute to activists and a "visual scream" against the climate crisis, while Shell condemned the action as dangerous and illegal trespassing.
This action matters because it merges high-profile contemporary art with direct environmental protest, using Kapoor's global recognition to draw attention to the fossil fuel industry's role in climate change. The artwork's placement on an active offshore platform challenges traditional exhibition spaces and amplifies ongoing debates about corporate sponsorship of cultural institutions, as Kapoor previously called on London's National Portrait Gallery to cut ties with BP. The event also highlights the growing use of art as a tool for civil disobedience and climate activism.