A "bloody, sacrificial" performance involving a dead cow, set to appear at Hobart's Dark Mofo in June, has sparked condemnation among animal rights activists who are calling on the city's mayor to ban the event.

Animal Liberation Tasmania slammed the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), which organises the annual festival held over the winter solstice, for scheduling the programming art piece by Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch​, who plans to use 500 litres of animal blood in the work.

Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch has been using animal carcasses and blood in his art for decades. Credit:Moorilla Gallery

In a petition at change.org, the activist group said that "a bull will be slaughtered specifically for usage in this bloody performance piece", and urged Hobart City Council and Lord Mayor Sue Hickey to cancel the event, 150.Action.

On the Dark Mofo website, the free, three-hour performance, scheduled for June 17 and for over-18s only, is described as "a bloody, sacrificial ritual" that contains "distressing imagery, nudity and strong adult themes, and is not suitable for children".