“I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker colour” – Fall Out Boy, 2018.
What is the darkest colour? Black? In terms of what is commercially available, yes. However, a British company named Surrey NanoSystems created a product that absorbs 99.96% of all light. Known as Vantablack, the array of carbon tubules is widely regarded as “the world’s blackest black”. Sounds cool, right?
The less-cool part is that it is an exclusive technology. Soon after Vantablack was released to the public, British artist and sculptor Anish Kapoor entered into a partnership with the parent company to continue developing the product. This name may be familiar to you because he is the artist who created the famous Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago. The one that looks like a giant silver bean (and maybe has a man trapped inside… but that’s a story for another day). The one condition Kapoor had was that he maintained exclusive rights to using the substance.
Owning a colour is not a new concept. Throughout the years, various companies have trademarked their shade, meaning no one else can use it or profit off of it – think of Barbie pink or Tiffany blue. But for some reason, this seemed to be the last straw for the art world. Numerous artists expressed their outrage over a single person owning a colour.
One person took their outrage a step further: Stuart Semple retaliated. He released a pigment powder that had been in development called the “Pinkest Pink” on his website, along with a disclaimer: “By adding this product to your cart, you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your knowledge, information, and belief, this paint will not make its way into [the] hands of Anish Kapoor.” (culturehustle.com)
The premise was simple: as long as Kapoor retained exclusive rights to Vantablack, he would not be legally permitted to possess any of Semple’s products. Of course, the allure of forbidden fruit was too much to resist (which is why this all started in the first place). Soon after, Kapoor made an Instagram post with his middle finger dipped in the pink pigment and captioned it “up yours”.
There was only one way to retaliate. In 2017, Semple released “Black 2.0”, a paint that was even darker than the standard black acrylic you can find at a craft store. More importantly, you only needed a brush as opposed to expensive high-tech tubes. It was way more accessible (to all but one, of course). He also released “The World’s Most Glittery Glitter”, made from crushed glass. It is recommended that you do not handle this product with bare hands. Or, perhaps, dip your fingers in it.
Since then, Semple has gone on to produce two more iterations of his black paint, as well as a variety of other colours. He has been on a campaign to “liberate” colours from companies that trademark them. However, this has not been without controversy; the artist used Pantone colours to form a digital artwork that was auctioned off as an NFT, which has negative environmental implications.
The feud came to a head in 2024 after years of public drama and private lawsuits. In October 2024, Semple legally changed his name. To Anish Kapoor. Semple regarded it as a piece of performance art that was meant to discuss the concept of a name linking to an identity. Does this now mean he cannot buy his own products? Will the still-elusive deal regarding the acquisition of Vantablack now apply to him too? Only time will tell.
What can you take from all this? Does someone have the right to possess exclusive access to a colour merely by funding its creation? Can companies bar others from using a colour? Will they ever free the man stuck inside The Bean Cloud Gate? Who knows.
