Philippine artist creates paintings using his own blood, aims for world record
- Born poor with no access to art materials, Elito Circa explored different mediums including blood when he scraped himself as a boy
- He is planning an ambitious project – to create the largest ‘blood painting’ ever on a 100-metre canvas, setting a world record
Philippine artist Elito Circa has blood on his hands, literally – but only to create art with.
Using blood taken from his own veins, the 52-year old produces canvas paintings that have drawn both praise and criticism because of his unusual choice of medium.
Born in a low-income household with little access to school supplies and art materials, Circa explored different mediums, including plums and tomatoes, but it was when he scraped himself as a young boy that his fascination with using blood began.
“Every time I got scraped, I would use my own blood since bloodstains are also hard to remove,” said Circa, while dabbing a white canvass using a paintbrush dipped in blood.
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Filipino artist paints with his own blood, sweat and tears… literally
Now, Circa goes to the town’s health clinic once every three months to have his blood extracted, usually in increments of 500ml (17oz), which he stores in a cooler in his studio for future projects.
