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The Reverend preaches: "It's not easy for Americans to slow down their consumption. No, it ain't! We've got to help each other out. Give each other the power. Yes we do! To back away from the product. To turn. To escape the big box. The hypnosis of corporate greed! Amen, hallelujah."

 Me asombre cuando vi que el Reverendo Billy había sido programado para presentar su espectáculo de “Earthalujah” (alaba la Tierra) como parte de la serie de Centro Hemisférico y FOMMA: “Diálogos Hemisféricos” en San Cristóbal de las Casas esta semana. Tuve que volver a mirar y decirme, El Reverendo Billy?

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I looked twice when I saw that Reverend Billy was scheduled to perform his “Earthalujah” show as part of the Centro Hemisférico and FOMMA’s series “Diálogos Hemisféricos” in San Cristóbal de las Casas this week. Then I looked again.

 The Tate Modern in London—the most-visited art gallery in the world—got a new addition to its collection last week. The performance artist and preacher Reverend Billy, together with his choir and a crowd of supporters, put on an exorcism against all the money that BP funnels into the museum to whitewash its public image. The company is responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 and the Tar Sands extraction effort in Canada.

On July 5, 2011, I received word from Reverend Billy and & The Church of Earthalujah that he was taking his flock to London in order to “lay hands on the Tate Modern, and cast out the evil demon of BP’s oil sponsorship.” The good Reverend had been invited to the U.K. by activists groups Liberate Tate, UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide, Art Not Oil and Climate Rush, and he was scheduled to exorcise the Tate Modern on July 18th.

On July 16, BP announced yet another pipeline leak at its Lisburne oilfield on Alaska’s North Slope.

 A couple of days ago, on Monday 18 July, 5.30pm on the dot, a man in a white suit, dog collar and spectacular hair falls to his knees in the Turbine Hall of the world’s most visited modern art gallery, London’s Tate Modern, and begins to testify. His voice echoes throughout the huge hall, climbing up to the stunned ears of hundreds of tourists and art lovers who pause on the walkways to look down to see what the hell is going on.

 AN American performance group, British artists, activists and art lovers are planning to exorcise the demons of a London gallery's relationship with a major oil company.

 The Reverend Billy & the Church of Earthalujah preached a sermon loud and clear in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern today, urging and end to extraction of oil for the Tar Sands and of arts sponsorship by BP which gives a company engaged in this most polluting activity a false green image. London, UK. 18/07/2011

 Reverend Billy leads mass exorcism in Tate Modern Turbine Hall over ‘taint’ of BP sponsorship

American performance group and British artists, activists and art lovers congregate in call for gallery to end its relationship with oil company