Blood of the Earth

"Blood of the Earth" is a performance and ecological action that symbolically addresses the deep connection between industrial waste and environmental destruction. The performance involved a group of artists washing plastic bags—items made from petroleum byproducts— as an act of purification, both literal and metaphorical. By scrubbing these remnants of human consumption, the artists engaged in a futile yet poetic gesture, attempting to cleanse what cannot truly be undone: the contamination of the Earth’s very essence.

Taking place at the Art & Shock Festival in Kryvyi Rih in 2017, the performance visualized the idea that oil—often referred to as the "blood of the Earth"—is continuously extracted, consumed, and turned into pollutants that infiltrate ecosystems. The act of washing the plastic became a meditation on responsibility, the illusion of control, and the urgent need for ecological consciousness.

Rather than offering a straightforward solution, Blood of the Earth raises a question: Can we ever truly reverse the damage inflicted upon our planet, or are we merely performing acts of redemption to ease our own guilt? The performance invites reflection on human agency in environmental crises, challenging the audience to reconsider their role in the cycle of consumption and waste.