The journey to find the darkest paint on earth has sparked scientific breakthroughs, artistic feuds, and a bizarre monopoly on darkness itself. Welcome to the inky world of Vantablack and the drama it unleashed.
Vantablack: The Black Hole of Paints
In 2014, a UK-based company Surrey NanoSystems unveiled Vantablack, a material so dark it absorbs 99.965% of visible light, making it one of the darkest substances on Earth. Anything coated in it appears like a void, distorting shape and depth, making three-dimensional objects look completely flat.
Originally developed for aerospace and military applications (think stealth technology and telescopes), Vantablack quickly caught the attention of the art world.
The Monopolisation of Darkness
But here’s where things take a strange turn. British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor secured exclusive rights to use Vantablack in art. The decision outraged many artists, who saw it as an attack on creative freedom.
However, Vantablack is not just any paint - it’s highly complex, expensive to produce, and not commercially available. Due to its specialised application process, Surrey NanoSystems granted a sole license for its artistic use to Kapoor’s studio. While it was never something artists could simply buy, the exclusivity still sparked massive backlash among artists.
Kapoor had long explored ultra-dark aesthetics. His 1992 installation, Descent Into Limbo, is a striking example of this obsession. The piece features what appears to be a simple black circle painted on a concrete floor. However, in reality, it is a 2.5-metre-deep cylindrical void, its internal walls coated with an ultra-dark pigment that absorbs nearly all light. The result is an optical illusion so convincing that in 2018, a museum visitor accidentally stepped into it, falling into the pit.
This fascination with darkness predates Vantablack by decades, demonstrating Kapoor’s long-standing interest in void-like illusions. Even without the blackest black, he had already mastered the ability to create the sensation of infinite depth, making his later monopoly on Vantablack all the more controversial.
The Great Colour War
British artist Stuart Semple saw Kapoor’s monopoly as an insult to creativity and accessibility, leading him to launch a counter-attack, creating a series of colours designed to be the opposite of Kapoor’s exclusivity. He developed The Pinkest Pink, The Greenest Green and most importantly - Black 2.0, 3.0 and more recently Black 4.0.
Unlike Vantablack, Semple's ultra-dark paints were available to everyone - except Anish Kapoor. The sales page even includes a cheeky disclaimer where buyers have to confirm they are not Kapoor or purchasing on his behalf:
*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. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this material will not make it's way into the hands of Anish Kapoor.
Kapoor, unable to resist, managed to get his hands on a pot of The Pinkest Pink and posted an Instagram photo of his middle finger dipped in it, captioned simply: Up yours #pink
MIT’s Version: The Unexpected Contender
While Kapoor and Semple feuded, scientists at MIT quietly developed an even darker material in 2019 - one that absorbs 99.995% of light. Accidentally discovered while experimenting with carbon nanotubes, MIT’s black outperformed Vantablack and even had potential applications for space exploration.
The Future of the Blackest Black
So, where does that leave us? The search for the ultimate black is still ongoing, with new contenders emerging all the time. But at its core, this isn’t just a scientific arms race - it’s a story about creativity, rivalry, and the age-old debate over who gets to control art. Whether you’re on Team Kapoor or Team Semple, one thing is clear: the blackest black isn’t just a colour ... it’s a battleground!
