Pouring Canned Goods on Paintings: A Climate Protest
Sage Osesek
Throwing a can of tomato soup on an invaluable painting is typically seen as eccentric. Blockading Charing Cross Road, Kensington High Street, Kennington Road, and Blackfriars Road are viewed as unlawful. Getting arrested is unadmirable, to say the least.
So why is this happening?
Just Stop Oil is a climate protest group in the United Kingdom that aims to ensure the government stops fossil fuel licensing and production. It demands renewable energy and the reduction of oil-powered vehicles, planes, and excessive energy usage. Formed in February 2022, Just Stop Oil has been using heavily criticized protest methods to capture the government’s attention. Helen Redford, a recent addition to the group, describes the ambition behind her membership, “I’m joining the Just Stop Oil campaign today because for me, taking nonviolent direct action seems to be the only option left to me.” Another member added, “The government is not taking the devastating effects of the climate emergency seriously. They’re still granting new oil and gas licenses when it’s clear that oil and gas are the problems, not the solution.”
Needless to say, Just Stop Oil recognized the current climate crisis and took action. Their protests are generally pegged as childish by the public, but they have succeeded in attracting attention. The event that bewildered many was the vandalism of Van Gogh’s The Arles Sunflowers by a can of tomato soup. Two members of Just Stop Oil threw soup on Van Gogh’s painting and proceeded to glue themselves under it.
Activist Phoebe Plummer said to the surprised tourists, “What is worth more, art or life? Is it worth more than food? More than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people? The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis, fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup.” This quote garnered some criticism from the public. It didn’t make sense that Just Stop Oil was wasting the very food they claimed poor people couldn’t afford. People didn’t see the connection between Van Gogh and climate change. Of course, the attempt at destroying a painting was also disliked. To the public’s delight, the activists were soon arrested and taken into custody.
However, the activists stated they knew the painting was enclosed in glass, as most paintings are. So, they knew that no real damage would be done to this art. Though the frame was slightly damaged, the painting itself was unharmed. They knew that a Van Gogh vandalism would attract the attention of the media, a factor that is crucial to enact change. Activists all over the world have failed to capture any attention, so they settled on nonviolent vandalism of an infamous painting to invoke interest. The activists claimed, "We wouldn't have had that impact if we just calmly explained the rationale behind moving to a clean energy future.”
To address the confusion over the relationship between art and climate change, the spokesperson of Just Stop Oil, Alex D. Koning said, “Art has a lot of power, and all the great artists in the past were radical and forward-thinking, and yet that’s not being addressed in the same way in the climate crisis. There are still people who are way more outraged about that action (the soup poured on Van Gogh) than the 33 million people in Pakistan being displaced by floods.” To Just Stop Oil, it seems like more people are upset over soup on glass than millions of people losing their homes.
Another form of protest Just Stop Oil has used is blockading the streets. Disturbance of everyday life attracts the attention of the people, which must attract the attention of the government. More recently, an activist attempted to glue his ear to Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. They also covered The Hay Wain with a depiction of what climate change will do to our future and glued themselves to The Hay Wain and The Last Supper. These protests have also inspired German protesters who threw mashed potatoes on a Claude Monet painting.
Are these protests effective? From a recent poll, 58% of UK adults support their demands, but 57% are against the group. For a group to be successful, it needs the support of the public and the government. Just Stop Oil’s protest methods are profusely condemned, so it’s said to be unlikely that it will succeed in enacting change. Other climate change activists chastise the group, claiming it makes the world associate climate activism with foolishness and fanatics.
Around 60-70% of the public agrees that climate change, largely caused by fossil fuels, is an issue in the world. Nonetheless, it is improbable that the UK and the world will switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The cost alone is said to be detrimental to the economy and cause a hike in taxes. Due to the economical issues that could result and the general dislike of Just Stop Oil, its protests are predicted to be unsuccessful in the future.
Sources
Just Stop Oil activists throw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Just Stop Oil activists dragged out of road by motorists in London
Interview: Just Stop Oil activist explains why it's right to attack art
Tomato soup, a famous painting and a viral clip. What makes a protest work?
