Butchered by Anish Kapoor and Greenpeace: A Climate Protest Against Shell’s Offshore Oil Platform
In a bold fusion of art and activism, renowned artist Anish Kapoor has partnered with Greenpeace activists to stage a powerful installation on Shell’s active gas platform, located 45 nautical miles off the Norfolk coast. Titled Butchered by Anish Kapoor, the artwork marks the first time a contemporary piece has debuted on an offshore fossil fuel platform—sending a striking message about the devastating impact of oil and gas extraction on the planet.
A Climate Crisis Made Visible
The installation comes at a time when the UK is enduring its fourth heatwave of summer 2025, with Europe breaking temperature records, wildfires consuming areas twice the size of Glasgow, and floods wreaking havoc in China and northern India. Against this backdrop, Kapoor’s installation transforms climate statistics into a visceral, haunting spectacle.
A team of seven Greenpeace climbers scaled Shell’s platform to secure a 12-meter by 8-meter canvas. Suspended high above the sea, a hose system pumped 1,000 liters of red liquid—a mix of seawater, beetroot powder, and food-grade dye—onto the fabric. The result: a dramatic, blood-like stain symbolizing the environmental damage inflicted by fossil fuel extraction.
The Numbers Behind the Protest
The installation draws attention to staggering figures about the oil and gas industry’s contribution to the climate crisis:
- Shell and other oil giants are responsible for more than half of global climate damage.
- A Dartmouth College study estimates the total cost of this damage at $28 trillion.
- Shell alone has caused an estimated $1.42 trillion in climate damage over 30 years.
- Despite record-breaking £54 billion in profits over two years following the Ukraine invasion, Shell paid just £1.2 billion in UK taxes, or roughly 2% of its global earnings.
- Shell currently owns or part-owns 1,196 oil and gas fields, with 700 undeveloped sites that could add 10.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions if exploited—equivalent to a quarter of global emissions.
These statistics underscore the urgent need for accountability, which Kapoor and Greenpeace sought to amplify through the installation.
Art as a Tool for Climate Justice
Kapoor is no stranger to challenging the fossil fuel industry’s influence. In 2019, he publicly opposed the National Portrait Gallery’s partnership with BP. His latest collaboration with Greenpeace extends that commitment, aligning his creative practice with climate activism.
Greenpeace has integrated the artwork into its Polluters Pay Pact campaign, which calls on governments worldwide to impose taxes on oil and gas companies to compensate for the environmental destruction they have caused. By combining contemporary art with direct action, the initiative delivers both a symbolic and practical call to action: the fight against climate change requires systemic accountability.
Why BUTCHERED Matters
The power of BUTCHERED lies not just in its scale but in its ability to make the invisible visible. Climate damage, often conveyed in abstract numbers and scientific reports, becomes tangible when represented as blood-red liquid staining the facade of a fossil fuel giant’s platform.
By placing art directly at the site of extraction, Kapoor and Greenpeace confront both the industry and the public with a stark reminder: every barrel of oil and every cubic meter of gas extracted comes at an immeasurable cost to the planet.
Conclusion
Anish Kapoor’s collaboration with Greenpeace on Shell’s offshore gas platform is more than an art installation—it is a global statement. BUTCHERED bridges the worlds of art, activism, and climate science, challenging both policymakers and the public to demand accountability from the oil and gas industry.
As extreme weather events intensify across continents, this installation stands as a powerful reminder that climate justice cannot wait. The message is clear: the fossil fuel industry’s profits must no longer outweigh the planet’s survival.
This campaign is about:
Greenpeace Polluters Pay Pact, Climate Change, Greenpeace Climate Activism, Oil and Gas Climate Damage, Butchered by Anish Kapoor, Best Greenpeace Campaigns
