1) Anish Kapoor Gets Exclusive Art Rights to Vantablack

Anish Kapoor has exclusive rights to the blackest material known to humanity. Vantablack, or Vertically Aligned Nanotube Array black, absorbs 99.965% of visible light, far more than even the darkest pain pigments that you might currently be using.  Even when it is painted onto shiny, crinkled tinfoil, it creates the appearance of a uniform, matte black hole that goes on forever. The company that created Vantablack, Surrey NanoSystems, has clarified that Kapoor only own the rights to the material for art purposes, and that it’s still up for grabs for use in other applications. Still, a lot of artists are understandably angry. Someone needs to give this stuff to a fashion designer, pronto.

2) Douglas Coupland's Facial De-Recognition Software

Taxi Girl, acrylic on archival print, Douglas Coupland

Here’s ArtNews’ account of Douglas Coupland’s Facial De-Recognition software, currently on display at the Armory show in New York. Viewers can pose for a photo at the exhibition – the software takes the photo and obscures the subject’s face with barcodes and bright blocks of colour that reference the patterns used by the Navy to “dazzle” and confuse radar. Coupland’s explorations into facial recognition software were born from the artist’s fascination with the internet, especially Facebook, which uses a highly advanced algorithm to recognize faces in the photos that people post of their friends. The “de-recognized” photo that is taken is automatically sent to subject’s email as a .GIF file.

3) A Look at the Work of Robert Ryman

Untitled, Robert Ryman

Here’s an interesting piece that looks at the artworks of Robert Ryman. Ryman is known for his minimalist compositions of white paint on cardboard and other lowbrow substrates, which rely on lighting and placement to create delicate explorations of material. The New York Times article reacts to several of the works currently on display at the Dia: Chelsea, with ultra-close-up images showing the beauty of thickly applied oil paint in even patterns. The 85-year old Ryman has been creating these minimalist, peaceful compositions since the mid 1950’s.

4) Exhibition Features Former Assistants to Famous Artists

A new exhibition in New York collects art by artists who previously worked as assistants to heavy hitters like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. The Art Newspaper talked to each of these artists individually, and the article gives the reader an interesting glimpse into the working lives of some well-known artists, and the benefits and challenges of defining your own practice while helping another artist create their works.