WHITE 2.0 BY STUART SEMPLE

After three years of research and development involving 2000 beta testers, British artist Stuart Semple announced that he has developed White 2.0. According to the artist, it is the brightest and whitest paint in the world for artists.

Semple says White 2.0 reflects 99.98% of light and is 50% brighter than the best-selling white paint for artists on the market, according to tests.

For decades, laboratories have been researching the structure of the wings of the Cyphochilus beetle ("ghost beetle") - an unusually white natural material as well as polar bear fur.

Cult artist Stuart Semple, who first developed Pinkest Pink and then Black 3.0, has developed White 2.0 with 2,000 isolated artists who have turned their homes into test facilities. Through this community-driven process, Stuart was able to find out what the artists actually needed and wanted from the colour. According to the artist, one of the qualities of White 2.0 is its incredible opacity, which eliminates the need to apply layers and layers of paint to dark surfaces. 

Jemima in the lab

©Stuart Semple

THE ARTIST

Stuart Semple is a British post-YBA artist. He became known for his "Happy Cloud" performance at the Tate Modern, where he flooded the London skyline with artificial eco-clouds in the shape of smiley faces during the 2009 recession. The performance was subsequently repeated in Moscow, Manchester, Milan, Australia, Denver and Dublin.

Semple has held 15 solo exhibitions internationally in Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Milan. He has participated in over 50 group exhibitions with artists such as Peter Doig, Basquiat, Warhol, Richard Prince, Ai Wei Wei and the Chapman Brothers. 

More recently, Semple has been involved in the so-called "art wars" that began when artist Anish Kapoor secured exclusive rights to use Vantablack, the blackest substance in the world, which meant that no artist could use this pigment. Therefore, the artist founded an internet performance art that explored issues of accessibility, equality and elitism- starting with the creation of the "Pinkest Pink", available to all but Kapoor.

In 2021, Semple opened GIANT, a brand new artist-run space in Bournemouth. GIANT is dedicated to showcasing challenging works by major international contemporary artists.

www.giant.space

Semple was honoured as a UN Happiness Hero, an award given to mark the first UN International Day of Happiness on 20 March 2013. Stuart is also an ambassador for Mind, the mental health charity.

www.stuartsemple.com

Twitter & Instagram : @stuartsemple

White 2.0 is available via CultureHustle.com for £19.99/$29.99.

By G. 15 November 2021