The Blackest Black
Into The Void, Anish Kapoor
In 2014, Surrey NanoSystems, a company based in the United Kingdom, developed Vantablack, an unprecedented pigment that absorbs 99.965% of visible light. At the time, it was deemed “the “world’s blackest black,” making it an exciting innovation for color-concerned artists like Anish Kapoor. In fact, Kapoor was so enthusiastic about Vantablack that he had a highly publicized hand in its development.
This collaboration with Surrey NanoSystems, however, had a catch: in exchange for his help, he sought exclusive usage rights to the material. As expected, this did not sit well with other artists, like Stuart Semple, who has since retaliated by developing even “blacker” blacks. Unlike Vantablack, Semple's pigments are legally available to everyone—except Kapoor. (My Modern Met)
“Black is not sad. Bright colors, they’re what depresses me. They’re so… empty. Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright “yellow jacket? Probably not.”
― Ann Demeulemeester
Maybe Demeulemeester should talk to Amanda Gorman about that! At 22, Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in US history”. As she recited her poem, "The Hill We Climb," she wore a bright-yellow coat. Jan 20, 2021.
See
Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate” (2006) following the artist’s 2016 recoating in Vantablack (photo courtesy City of Chicago)
Taking advantage of his exclusive rights to make artistic use of the high-tech, light-absorbing material Vantablack, the British artist Anish Kapoor has covered the entire surface of his Chicago public sculpture “Cloud Gate” (2006) with it. The result, a looming black orb that neutralizes 99.965% of the radiation that hits it, is a far cry from the mirrored selfie beacon that Chicagoans and tourists have come to love.
‘Cloud Gate’ before
“The public has had a decade to interact with the reflective surface of ‘Cloud Gate,’ and I felt it was time for a change,” Kapoor told Hyperallergic. “Whereas the sculpture was originally about play and surface appearance, I think the Vantablack version is more about introspection, about becoming disoriented, lost, and enveloped in an overwhelming void of nothingness.” Kapoor
Say
This is, at least, the second time an artist has claimed exclusive rights to a particular colour. The French artist Yves Klein patented a deep shade of a matt blue in 1960 and subsequently named it International Klein Blue (IKB). (Artlyst)
“There’s been this ridiculous controversy about me having control over the color,” Kapoor told Wallpaper. He added, “It’s perfectly straightforward: it’s not a color. It’s a technology. And it’s extremely complicated and sophisticated.” -Anish Kapoor
Do you think Anish Kapoor is clever or greedy for negotiating the rights to a color?
What do you think about the color black?
Do
Journal about black. What does it stir up for you? Is it mystery, fear, poetry…?
How Black is Vanta Black?
Listen to the VantaBlack Feud between Kapoor and Semple
About Anish Kapoor
Photo credit: George Darrell
Anish Kapoor was born in Mumbai, India, in 1954 and lives and works in London. He studied at Hornsey College of Art, London, UK (1973–77), followed by postgraduate studies at Chelsea School of Art, London, UK (1977–78).
Anish Kapoor is one of the most influential sculptors of his generation. Perhaps most famous for public sculptures that are both adventures in form and feats of engineering, Kapoor maneuvers between vastly different scales across numerous series of work. (Lisson Gallery)
Latest work: Anish Kapoor Carbon Nano Technology
Please share your reflections with me by replying to this post or post and tagging my Wonder Wander Facebook or Instagram pages!
