Blood Art: What Is It? Why Is The Tamil Nadu Government Banning It?

As of Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu government has banned 'blood art' throughout the state. Health minister Ma Subramanian told reporters in Trichy that criminal action would be taken against those involved in this practice [1].

In their report, the TN officials stated that the blood drawing process was not followed according to protocol and was conducted under unhygienic conditions. Moreover, they said that the needle was used on multiple people, exposing them to infection risk.

"Collecting blood for the purpose of creating art should be stopped from today. Blood is used to save countless lives, but it is not the only medium for painting. Therefore, blood art centres will be banned in the state, and anyone violating these rules will be subject to serious action. So, from today, blood art is banned and if anyone continues to do so, we will take due action. I appeal to youngsters not to indulge in it," said the health minister [2].

What Is Blood Art?

Blood art refers to the creation of artwork with blood as the medium. Yikes!

The use of body fluids such as blood, urine, faeces, etc. in works of art is most prevalent in shock art and transgressive art [3].

In order to enhance the aura of their art, artists use blood in their works. It could be a form of protest, a way to reflect their artistic opinions or simply to showcase their artistic abilities.

Using blood can be risky, insecurities may exist. Bloodied work is off-putting to most viewers, which is ironic given that, like all bodily fluids, we all carry them within. Most viewers find it icky and off-putting [4].

There are many examples of blood art in the world, including the work of New York artist Vincent Castiglia in which he uses his own blood in order to make paintings, The Anguished Man, which is said to be a haunted painting by an unknown artist, which contains the blood of the artist in its paint, according to the owner, and many more.

Blood Art As A Form Of "Love" ?

Artists have used blood as a metaphor and physical element to explore gender identity, disease, racism, and violence since at least the 1970s [5]. Of course, blood conveys life and death, masculinity and femininity, nutrition and threat. Blood has been a powerful medium of art since the 1970s.

There is, however, evidence that students in Tamil Nadu, clutching vials of blood, were the customers of the blood art, who wanted portraits of themselves painted as gifts for their significant others.

In order to create blood artwork for A4 size, the customer should deposit approximately 5 ml of blood into the machine. You should deposit 10 ml of blood if you wish to have it reproduced in A3 size, and 10 ml if you wish to have it produced in A3 [6].

According to the TOI report, the studio used to collect blood in a room on the premises, but now customers are asked to bring it from a lab, as it is more convenient and less problematic to dispose of.

Blood Art: Is It Safe?

No.

A doctor or other medical professional uses the appropriate needle and technique during the collection and preservation of a patient's blood. Blood collected for painting, however, is not properly preserved, and since multiple patients can have their blood drawn with the same needle, dangerous viruses such as HIV may infect them [7].