Elito Circa, who was born impoverished and had little access to painting equipment, experimented with many mediums, including blood, when he scratched himself as a child.
He has big plans to create the largest ‘blood painting’ ever on a 100-metre canvas, breaking the Guinness record.
Using blood obtained from his own veins, the 52-year-old creates canvas paintings that have elicited both acclaim and criticism due to his unconventional medium of choice.
Elito Circa, a Filipino artist, physically has blood on his hands – but only to make art with.
Using blood obtained from his own veins, the 52-year-old creates canvas paintings that have elicited both acclaim and criticism due to his unconventional medium of choice.
Circa, who grew up in a low-income family with limited access to school supplies and art tools, experimented with various mediums such as plums and tomatoes, but his interest with utilising blood began when he scratched himself as a young kid.
“Every time I got scraped, I used my own blood since bloodstains are also difficult to erase,” Circa said while tapping a white canvas with a paint brush coated in blood.
Circa now visits the town’s health facility once every three months to have his blood drawn, generally in 500 ml (17 oz) increments, which he keeps in a fridge in his studio for future work.
“My artwork is very significant to me because it comes from me, from my own blood, from my DNA… Because my view is that life is circular and everything is a cycle, (my blood) acts as a tool to remind me of where I came from “Circa said.
Circa has set his eyes on a more ambitious project after painting a 122 x 244 cm (4 x 8 ft) mural commemorating the history of Pantabangan, the town where he grew up, on a 100-metre (328 ft) canvas in 2023, setting a world record.
