Black Holes: Monsters in Space (Artist's Concept)
Anish Kapoor and the Colour that is the Closest Thing to a Black Hole
In February 2016, when sculptor Anish Kapoor acquired exclusive rights to the super-black coating Vantablack (described by its makers as the closest thing to a black hole), he sparked off a scathing feud. The art world decried the action as unethical1 and Kapoor became the villain of the piece.
Curiously, Vantablack is not strictly a colour or a pigment, but a highly efficient light-absorbing coating which dramatically disrupts visual definition, enabling the viewer to perceive the darkest black ever made: essentially a void. Although Kapoor’s fascination for colour, reflection and negative space made him the obvious choice for exploring the creative potential of Vantablack, other artists were aghast at the idea that an individual could lay claim to ownership of something as fundamental as colour.
Furthermore, the idea that innovation and creative opportunity was being offered to the already famous, and denied to the masses led to cries of elitism1. This inspired contemporary artist Stuart Semple to research and develop pigments ‘The Pinkest Pink’ and ultimately ‘The Blackest Black: Black 2.0’. In an act of retaliation, he deliberately made both colours available for anyone to use, with the express exception of Kapoor.
Kapoor has an interesting view on the furore
Curiously, Vantablack is not strictly a colour or a pigment, but a highly efficient light-absorbing coating which dramatically disrupts visual definition, enabling the viewer to perceive the darkest black ever made: essentially a void. Although Kapoor’s fascination for colour, reflection and negative space made him the obvious choice for exploring the creative potential of Vantablack, other artists were aghast at the idea that an individual could lay claim to ownership of something as fundamental as colour.
Furthermore, the idea that innovation and creative opportunity was being offered to the already famous, and denied to the masses led to cries of elitism1. This inspired contemporary artist Stuart Semple to research and develop pigments ‘The Pinkest Pink’ and ultimately ‘The Blackest Black: Black 2.0’. In an act of retaliation, he deliberately made both colours available for anyone to use, with the express exception of Kapoor.
Kapoor has an interesting view on the furore
the problem is that colour is so emotive - especially black… I don’t think the same response would occur if it was white.2