The war of attrition continues between British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor and his art world nemeses. The artist has hit back by doubling down on his pettiness and getting hold of artist Stuart Semple’s Pinkest pink – a paint he was previously banned from purchasing or using. It started in 2014, when Kapoor was given exclusive rights to the colour “Vantablack”, developed by tech company Nanosystems, which came with the designation of being the blackest black pigment available. It is capable of absorbing 99.96 per cent of light.
His exclusivity angered others in the art community. In retaliation, artist Stuart Semple created what he claims is the “pinkest pink” paint on the market. He spent a decade perfecting the hue of ‘PINK’, which he then sold to the public, excluding Anish Kapoor – the only artist on which he placed a ban.
To keep Kapoor at bay, buyers of ‘PINK’ were required to sign a legal declaration at checkout, ensuring that neither he nor anyone he knows would be able to buy the paint. However, Anish Kapoor posted a photo on his Instagram account showing he’d procured it, middle finger raised and coated in ‘PINK’ with the caption “Up Yours”.
Comments on the photo vary from “This is the level of petty I aspire to be” to rational pleas like “Yo dude. That’s rude. Release the blackest black. Don’t be a dick.”
When reached for a response by The Creators Project, ‘PINK’ creator Stuart Semple said, “It’s obviously very disapointing that Anish has illegally got his hands on the world’s Pinkest paint. If anyone knows who is behind sharing it with him it would be good if they could come forward – Anish is still very much at large, not just with the blackest black but now the stolen pinkest pink. Luckily he’s failed to get his hands on the world's most glittery glitter so we would urge purchasers to refrain from sharing any with him or his associates.”
Anish Kapoor: 2; art world: 0.
