Stuart Semple, the British artist famous for his groundbreaking use of colour, has made an art-happy creating announcement. He’s offering a new palette, based on the most recent scientific findings, aptly named “yolo.” The hue follows on the heels of Semple’s earlier concoctions, like the world’s blackest and pinkest paints. This newest piece takes direct aim at one of those exclusive rights — the rights artist Anish Kapoor holds over Vantablack, the world’s blackest paint. That’s great news for the art world, too!
In a continuing rivalry, Semple in the meantime made an even blacker paint than Vantablack and denied Kapoor access to it. This latest color on his palette, yolo, is said to be able to create a distinctive blue-green color using a low-tech process. We have taken from the name “yolo” which was inspired by the binary code 010. This code means that whenever we see this color, only the medium (M) wavelength-sensitive cones in the human eye are firing.
Yolo is available on Semple’s website for £10,000 per 150ml jar. One amazing thing is artists can download it at a fraction of the cost for only £29.99. Semple doesn’t think color should be this specialized treasure available only to the privileged few. That’s precisely why he chose to price Yolo for artists at a lower tier.
The creation of YOLO is directly modeled on research recently published in Science Advances. This pioneering effort brought together an interdisciplinary team including vision scientist Austin Roorda. Roorda described attempts to recreate the colour by mixing two liqueurs: Midori and Blue Curacao. Despite these efforts, he stated, “It’s impossible to recreate a colour that matches yolo.”
Semple underscored the significance of yolo by stating, “I think they’ve triggered an experience in people that they’re approximating to a colour. What I’ve done is tried to make an actual colour of that experience.” It is his conviction that through his creation artists have much more freedom and opportunity for experimentation.
The cocktail that makes the YOLO completely works for the eyes, but it supposedly tastes disgusting. As Roorda observed, “People love their cars.” This really drives home the concept of perception and colour—how a variety of different sensory experiences can shape someone’s experience with and knowledge of colour.
Austin Roorda expressed enthusiasm for the new paint, hinting at potential creative collaborations: “I might even commission my cousin who’s an artist to do some work with this paint.” His statements imply that yolo will encourage a generation of more adventurous creative experimentation, from makers looking to go further.