In July of 2014, the UK-based Surrey NanoSystems created the blackest black material known to man. Now when I say black, we're talkingBLACK, like hex code #000000, or the color of your ex's soul. Called Vantablack, it's made of millions of microscopic carbon nanotubes, and it absorbs 99.965% of light. This means it appears as a solid, dark shape on whatever it gets applied on.
There are so many potential uses for this material, from military stealth technology to telescope optics, but perhaps one of the most exciting prospects is its possible impact in artwork. Who wouldn't want to make an art piece that looks like a window into the abyss?
That's why it came as quite the shock to the art community when renowned British sculptor Anish Kapoor obtained exclusive rights to use the material in his work. If you're unfamiliar with that name, perhaps you'll recognize one of his most famous installations:
Cloud Gate, a.k.a. the giant silver bean in Chicago.
The backlash from prominent artists and art fans was swift. People took to social media with #sharetheblack to protest. Christian Furr, the youngest artist commissioned to paint the Queen of England, said in an interview with the Daily Mail:
"I've never heard of an artist monopolizing a material. Using pure black in an artwork grounds it...We should be able to use it. It isn't right that it belongs to one man."
However, the most colorful response came from Stuart Semple, another contemporary British artist. Semple, a vocal critic of Kapoor's partnership, created a pigment that he called "The World's Pinkest Pink." He sold it on his website with the following stipulation:
*Note: 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.
It was in December that Kapoor gave his rebuttal. On Instagram, the world-renowned artist posted this:
Very classy, Kapoor.
Since then, Semple has been expanding his line of "World's Most..." art materials. So far, he has made the "Greenest Green", "Yellowest Yellow", "Loveliest Blue", and finally, "The World's Most Glittery Glitter." All of these come with the condition that they never fall into the hands of Anish Kapoor.
Now, even if Kapoor decided to make the Vantablack available to other artists, that doesn't exactly mean it would be accessible. For one, the material requires experts and specialist equipment to create it, both of which are only at the Surrey NanoSystems labs. Secondly, it is extremely expensive: It costs more, ounce for ounce, than diamond or gold. Thirdly, because of its use in the aerospace and defense industry, exporting it is highly restricted by UK laws.
Even so, that hasn't deterred critics of the arrangement. The most recent development in this feud came early February when Semple unveiled his own "better" black. Rather than using microscopic nanotubes, Semple's black is just a very, very dark pigment that produces a nearly identical effect.
It remains to be seen if Vantablack will ever be made "public." What is for sure is that the art world just got a much cheaper, easier to use alternative. It might not be the exact color of a black hole, but it'll have to do for now.
Stuart Semple's BLACK V1.0 is available on his website Culturehustle.com for anyone to buy and use.
Anyone except Anish Kapoor, that is.
