![]() Further, Kapoor himself did not create the material, he just bought the rights to it. Vantablack is not merely expensive, but exclusively available (for artistic purposes) to Kapoor. Regarding Vantablack, still, there are a number of complicating factors, which make it a somewhat unique situation. The recipe for Mummy Brown paint includes actual, ground-up mummies, and has not been produced since the early 20th century in part because of the dwindling supply of mummies. Ultramarine blue, for instance, was traditionally made with powdered lapis lazuli, making it prohibitively expensive until a synthetic alternative was developed in the 19th century. Beyond legal restrictions, some art materials throughout history have been difficult to access for other reasons. Back in the 1960s, Yves Klein patented a mixture of blue pigment (International Klein Blue, or IKB), which became his signature color in a series of monochrome paintings. The practice, however, is not without precedent. This development caused immediate friction in the art world, with many decrying Kapoor’s actions, claiming that he was stealing from the artistic community.Įxclusive Colors of the Past IKB 79 by Yves Klein, 1959, via Tate Modern, LondonĪn artist monopolizing any material, in any context, is likely grounds for outrage. After a few years of experimentation with the material, Kapoor struck a deal with Surrey NanoSystems: he bought the exclusive rights to Vantablack’s use as an art material. Thus, the promise of a thin material achieving the same visual result was understandably irresistible to Kapoor.ĭescent Into Limbo by Anish Kapoor, 1992, via the artist’s websiteĪnish Kapoor’s initially innocent interest in Vantablack became controversial in 2016. In fact, Kapoor had pursued such an effect in his artwork before, with works like Descent Into Limbo, a 600 cm cube installation view in Serralves, Porto, composed of a circular hole in the floor, the walls of which are painted black to give the impression of an absolute void. Though it was developed primarily for its engineering application, Kapoor immediately recognized the artistic potential for ‘Vantablack’: the material is so dark, it gives the appearance of complete flatness. That same year, Kapoor began to use this newly developed material in his artwork. In 2014, Surrey NanoSystems released a material called ‘Vantablack.’ At the time, Vantablack was famously promoted as the world’s blackest black, absorbing 99.965% of visible light. In an advertising campaign, Lynx coated one of their one of their cans with Vantablack, but it took 400 hours to produce.Anish Kapoor Begins the Vantablack Controversy A promotional photo of Vantablack, via Dezeen ![]() Surrey Nanosystems has also noted that the substance is easily damaged by any direct impact or abrasion and requires a specialist’s application. It has to be grown in a specially designed Chemical Vapour Deposition chamber under an array of powerful lamps that raise the surface temperature to 430 Celsius or higher. On the other hand, Vantablack seems like a particularly hard substance to make use of. Precedents of artists who have tried to lay claim to a color include Yves Klein, who became famous for his International Klein Blue, now used by the Blue Man Group. ![]() It isn’t a right that belongs to one man”, Furr told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. No, it doesn’t seem like he’s stealing the color itself (which would be particularly difficult given that the world is painted black every single day) but certain portraitists, like Christian Furr, have voiced their anger that they can’t use the material now. Other artists, who originally planned to use the substance for their own works, are taking umbrage at Kapoor’s ‘monopoly’. Originally used for military and aeronautical purposes, Vantablack absorbs 99.96% of light, and is made of a ‘forest’ of millions and millions incredibly small carbon nanotubes (A surface area of 1 square cm contains around 1,000 million nanotubes). Vantablack, the substance that is said to ‘look like staring into a black hole’, has had its exclusive rights bought by the sculptor Anish Kapoor.
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