The World's Blackest Black Drama: Anish Kapoor vs. Stuart Semple

Check out my sponsor, betterhelp.com... and get 10% off of your first month of therapy.
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A deep dive into the art world drama surrounding Vanta Black or the world’s blackest black and Anish Kapoor's controversial exclusive rights to the material. In this video I cover how Vanta Black works, Kapoor's feud with Stuart Semple, and the subsequent developments of other very black black paints.
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some sources:
anishkapoor.com/
stuartsemple.com/
www.culturedma...
www.thecollect...
news.artnet.co...
• Art 101: The juiciest ...
• The Blackest Black? AR...
marshallcolman...
• I can't show you how p...
/ stuartsemple
• Why Anish Kapoor is ba...
news.artnet.co...
science.howstu...
news.artnet.co...
news.mit.edu/2...
monochrome-wat...
www.surreynano...
theoxfordcultu...
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00:00 intro
00:24 who is anish kapoor
02:45 a brief review of how color works
04:21 the creation of vanta black
07:06 anish kapoor’s deal
10:13 kapoor vanta black watch collab
11:46 stuart semple & the pinkest pink
16:22 semple’s response
18:44 more very black blacks
21:13 what’s everyone up to now
25:21 concluding thoughts
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camera: Sony Zv-1
edited by Jaida Zabala ‪@mrsmoonheaven‬
supplemental research by Nicholas Melvin
#vantablack #anishkapoor #stuartsemple

[@AModNamedMel]

Even if your favorite KZbinr is recommending it, do not use BetterHelp. Not only are they notorious for not vetting their "therapists", they also sold their customer data earlier this year. Like, sold the mental health data of their customers to advertisers. Let that sink in, and don't support them. It's honestly such a disappointment to see KZbinrs still take advertisment spots from them, knowing how badly BetterHelp treats queer people too.

[@wooogie672]

I was coming here to comment a similar thing. i physically cringed when emma said "BetterHelp". a little disappointed tbh...

[@r.h.1988]

Another commenter said they recieved a reply to a comment on another sponsored video where Emma said they didnt know about better helps problems but had a contract? I'm not sure how true that is or if the sponsorship will be discontinued after meeting contract demands but its something to consider

[@swizzybrizzy]

Yeah I watched a documentary about them the other day and it was shocking but not surprising, there have been complaints about them for such a long time. Sad to see that Emma accepted a sponsorship from them, it shows that either they know their history and accepted anyway or failed to look into them before accepting. The name of the documentary is called something like “I can’t trust my therapist” if anyone is interested in watching it, the allegations are shocking.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

I was starting to think I made the whole thing up because I noticed late this summer so many creators (KZbin, Facebook, podcasts, etc) starting having them as sponsors again and I was shocked. People responded so well to the established titles sponsorship thing I was kind of horrified that literally personal data from a therapy company was sold not to mention their other misdeeds and yet it seemed to be forgiven and forgotten?? How is a scam sponsor so quickly taken down and freely talked about but a much more serious and egregious actions from another not?? I’m not one to skip ads on podcasts usually but I will always skip a BH one even if I have to go track down my device from a few rooms away since I’m using Bluetooth. We’re not omniscient but it’s reassuring to see people are increasingly becoming aware, helping others become aware and hopefully the information spreads further to the right people!

[@spaceelfbunny218]

crazy how quickly the internet forgets.

[@avamartinez1220]

As a therapist, I really hope you reconsider your sponsorship to betterhelp. I don’t have enough characters to go into it in a KZbin comment, but a simple Google will highlight how harmful it is to clients, therapists, and the mental health field more broadly. I’m saying this as a huge fan of what you do and want you to be paid for your work, but not at the cost of ethical integrity.

[@emmainthemoment]

Thank you for this comment. I've received a number of really helpful messages and sources from people. It's on me to do research for the brands I promote and I recognize that I dropped the ball here. I'm taking everyone's feedback very seriously on this.

[@lizzyblitz07]

​@@emmainthemoment I assume you can't speak much more about it publicly until after the contract is up. After that I'd encourage you to make a community post at least. People are really hurt and I know you didn't intend for that, but people are also conditioned to assume the worst because so many KZbinrs shirk responsibility for their actions (or lack of action). It would probably mean a lot for people to know you've directly addressed it and cleared it up.

[@avamartinez1220]

@@emmainthemoment thank you for your response and I definitely didn't mean to add to the pile on as I do now see you've received many comments about this. It's just a topic super close to home for me, and you're not the only content creator who has promoted them without knowing, so it's something I don't like to ignore especially when it's coming from a creator I admire and respect.

[@AprilFl0wer]

@@emmainthemomentdelete this video then

[@georgiesantossi]

@@emmainthemomentif you care, reupload this video without the ad segment

[@GreatGreebo]

So upsetting to see Better Help as your sponsor Emma. You seem so thorough with your research capabilities so I was shocked to see them as your sponsor. 🥺 To everyone else: *DO NOT USE BETTER HELP*

[@salima1777]

Yes

[@joyatodd]

Some evidence would be more convincing.

[@Crowsie]

@@joyatodd google is free and you should research companies before accepting sponsorships from them

[@laurafrakinroslin]

@@joyatoddthey’re not HIPPA compliant and they sell your data. And advertisers knowing you’re depressed is not great.

[@What_I_Think_Happened]

​@@joyatoddDo you read?

[@PeglegLegolas]

I worked with Anish Kapoor a few years ago on one of his wax sculptures and that man is nothing short of an absolute ass hat. He was so pretentious and demanding, and he even came in one day and called everyone peasants 🙄

[@GnarlyRaePepsi]

He’s a hack. The bean sucks… graffiti would increase its aesthetic value by 1,000,000 times

[@elianamckee]

Another severe case of narcissism!😮

[@stanbasicidol9444]

Dude has poor in his name the fuck he calling other people peasants

[@Shadowstar_Art]

Like unironically?

[@PeglegLegolas]

@@Shadowstar_Art completely unironically, he was piiiissed!

[@ObsidianNebula00]

It always kills me that Kapoor hates when people call Cloud Gate "the Bean." My guy, if you didn't want people to call your sculpture "the Bean," perhaps you should not have made a giant fucking bean

[@Paradox_Incognito]

"It's not a bean" Well why does it look like one then

[@m.i7211]

That’s just a rumor. The Chicago Sun interviewed Kapoor and asked him how he feels about the nickname, and he answers “It’s great for it to have a colloquial name, its own lingo. I call it ‘The Bean’ too.”

[@marienola848]

My husband uses Black 3.0 in his scale modeling (a lot of modelers use it) and he was very amused to find out that it was born out of petty art drama, lol.

[@madamii]

Why are KZbinrs still taking BetterHelp sponsorships??? I thought we all realized that they were a bad company like 3 years ago

[@nina.robbs565]

yeah, they said that they have to upload the videos sponsored by them for their contract, but won't work with them again. I'm surprised they haven't heard how bad better help is

[@Furby420]

@@nina.robbs565I highly doubt they haven’t heard of the drama. But the check must’ve been good

[@CJ-ht4rf]

@@Furby420 I've heard the check is very very good. Right up there with what established titles was paying people

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@nina.robbs565it’s pure negligence considering it shows they didn’t even do a two second google search on BH

[@LordDomielOfElysium]

Literally. There are tons of videos about It, she could of very easily watched them before signing..

[@wandering6252]

i remember hearing about this story on the news forever ago and idc what anyone says, i find Stuart Semples pinkest pink and banning anish to be HILARIOUS lol i love how petty this drama is lol

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

Stuart is proof that no matter how low someone sets the petty level, prepare to be blown away by a new master of petty. The Pinkest Pink is an epic Barbie-level Pink. Who wouldn't be willing to sign the disclaimer to get it???? :)

[@MorganChaos]

@@DevilOnlyKnitsLace I'm kinda curious whether I could dye fabric or yarn with it lmao. I'd love to make the pinkest pink embroidery floss.

[@neenaj365]

Stuart had just flipped it to gain a loyal customer base. Love his ethos.

[@CommanderWiggins]

Stuart Semple has basically made a career out of being an absolute madlad and I have nothing but respect for him.

[@grandunification]

A small note from a physicist: scientists live and breathe collaboration! Most things you hear about in science news are collabs between universities, groups, people, etc from all over the world. I know a lot of scientists would love the time and funding to work directly with artist more often, and it's a little surprising to me that they've allowed kapoor to patent/monetize like this

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

They had a "number" in their mind, and Kapoor met that number.

[@ausrejurke]

As a materials engineer, I completely agree with you. We are required to publish open access articles. We are encouraged to publish open data. It's all about open research so that everybody independent of their background could benefit without any paywalls. And it is maddening to see a breakthrough research in hands of one person. But, I guess, companies don't have the same values as universities.

[@cruztastrophe]

When this was first going on a bunch of Facebook events popped up in the same vein as the "Storm Area 51" meme. They all had a goal like "paint the bean pinkest pink", "Paint the bean black" "cover the bean in smaller beans". I think it spawned a legitimate concern too just like the Area 51 meme.

[@AM-kr4pv]

Ooh yes I remember those! That was a fun time.

[@TheGrinningViking]

"As soon as they stop guarding it, toss a bucket of nail polish on the bean" was a personal favorite.

[@ysodora8030]

I thought that the trend was started by Stuart semple himself. Where the participants were asked to use pinkest pink as lipstick and kiss the bean.

[@MyLittleGravitystuck]

@ville__ I'm curious what you get out of this

[@nike7511]

Very sad. We talked about Anish Kapoor in my English class and my teacher made him out to be that amazing artist. But he just seems to be another man who has never been told no and thus thinks that he is entitled to every and anything in this world and throws temper tantrums when he can't get it.

[@Paulxl]

I don't find him particularly interesting.

[@clownjuice_blue4899]

I feel bad painting people as villains, I hope one day Kapoor and Simple can can come to together and make something wonderful ( idk maybe I’m immature and optimistic)

[@nike7511]

@@clownjuice_blue4899 I did not paint him a villain. It’s sweet of you to think like that. But I am also sick of seeing men of every time period in every field of work behave like that, just because they have the money and power to do so, over and over again. I too hope that he will come to his senses, apologise and change for the better.

[@TamarLitvot]

Like a certain current owner of an increasingly toxic social media platform.

[@Froggycolouring]

Like a certain owner of an increasingly toxic social media platform.

[@setheus]

I remember when this was happening in 2014~2015, and for some reason a bunch of weirdos used it as an excuse to be anti-Indian. Like guys... we can criticize the real actions without needing to make up wild racist shit lmao

[@nessie-from-earthbound1601]

Hate it when drama does that. Some people just look for an excuse to make their hate of certain groups appear to have a “real reason” even though it’s never limited to the person who they are supposedly criticizing 😒

[@wwirelesswwizard]

I know that you need sponsors, Emma, but I’m really disappointed that KZbinrs are still taking Better Help sponsorships. After all that’s come out about them as a company, it sucks to see that some people still endorse them.

[@Ynattirb73]

I was coming to comment the same thing. Get the $, but supporting BH is so sketchy :(

[@Terrestriellie]

So I made a comment about this on Emma's previous video, highlighting the issues with the company, Emma responded and said they had no idea and were gonna look into it; but still had certain contractual obligations that they still had to fulfill that it's unlikely they could change- I'm assuming these are probably the contractual obligations and they couldn't just drop the sponsorship immediately. Hopefully once the contract will be fulfilled they'll not accept it again 🤞

[@jinxedfates]

​@@Terrestrielliebut shouldnt we be researching before accepting in the first place? its not like its underground info

[@tb4546]

I’m hoping it’s just like, a contract for a certain number of videos, so there’s nothing that can be done until that contract is up :(

[@DamnItDylan]

I literally came here to say the same thing

[@chickpea]

I saw one of Anish Kapoor's pieces at a museum once and to be fair, it's not that black, it looks better on camera than in real life...

[@emmainthemoment]

okay tea- I need to see some irl now... I'm bummed I'm missing his NYC exhibit by like a week :(

[@chickpea]

In my case it was by pure randomness, I just went to a museum and got jumpscared by his name @@emmainthemoment

[@sophienichol6929]

Never thought I’d see you here I love your playlists

[@chickpea]

Thank you, one should be coming soon! x)@@sophienichol6929

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

I feel the same way about my ex-husband.

[@kitten224]

8:38 “that sounds too convenient what's the catch?” they sell your information, do little to no research on their therapists, and ✨more✨🙃

[@ruta5443]

I actually saw one of Anish Kapoor's artworks "Dark Brother" in Naples, Italy. It is a black rectangle on the floor and by looking at it from all angles you still can't make out if it's flat or a hole, or see any reflections or inside edges, or gauge the depth of the hole. To see it in real life is quite an experience, it gives you this weird feeling that your eyes are deceiving you. The interesting thing is, this artwork dates back to 2005, while Vantablack was only developed in 2014. So he was interesting in black holes quite before this pigment. I am not defending him as I'm not that familiar with his other work, but seeing Dark Brother live was an experience few artworks achieve

[@tradbimbo]

It's almost 2024 and people are still taking better help sponsorship.... yikes

[@yvaincallipso84]

Anish Kapoor is one of the perfect examples of gatekeeping elitism in the art world. Anything he creates paint wise he immediately comlpyrights and work is extremely pretentious, expensive and shut off from people who cant "afford" it. Stuart Semple on the other hand is one of rhose artists that believe art should be for EVERYONE. Anyway Blackest Black over Ventablack ANYDAY!!!!

[@TallTeenTurtle]

He didnt copyright vanta black the company that makes it sold him the exclusive rights to it. And stuart semple might say art for everyone but he doesnt pay his staff properly and is into NFTs which as by definition exclusive,

[@Robutube1]

It is interesting that you use the word 'creates' in respect to Kapoor's work. His is the idea or concept and skilled craftsmen actually make the pieces, although this is a debate for another time I guess. See also Damien Hirst.

[@omideixis]

okay i can already hear the pretentious alarms going off BUT the reason some artists choose not to title their works is because a title often gives another frame of context for a more abstract piece, and not titling a work can make viewers engage with it more and think harder about the choices an artist made. i cant CONFIRM this is why kapoor did this, i dont know much about him past cloud gate/the black n pink drama, but its one possible reason for it.

[@asmrtpop2676]

also personally i hate titling my works! i’m a visual artist not a writer lol

[@1800PAlN]

frankly as a person who is well-informed as you are when you create videos, i am saddened by the fact that you support betterhelp's lack of care for their patients and customers. it is a tech company first, and health service second. please do more research into your sponsors. edit: i finally found the comment addressing this under the video. emma, i admire your work and hold you in high regard, and my opinion of you does not change in the slightest. i don't mean to be one of the many voices bringing you down over this-many of my favorite youtubers have done this-it's just disheartening to see.

[@jklroxmysox111]

It’s also bad for the therapists, usually! I’m a therapist, for context. I’m glad Emma has plans to not work with them though and I’m excited for more videos

[@kezia8027]

@@jklroxmysox111 I mean the video is still up and advertising/supporting them, so it can't have bothered them THAT much... gotta make that $$ even if its at the expense of abusing peoples mental health!

[@Sonicfan290300]

commenting to keep this at the top

[@Star67667]

Hihi ! They’ve replied to other comments saying that they’re in a contract with them that they can’t break, but that they won’t be working with them anymore after the contract is up ! /nm

[@kezia8027]

@@Star67667 I guess that's something, but it's not really any consolation for anyone who has already been fooled or will be seeing as the video is still up and still endorsing better help. If someone ends up killing themselves because they didn't get the help they needed and deserved after following Emma's link, after Emma knew the facts that they should have researched before signing a contract; who is at fault? Emma is still endorsing a company that could literally get people killed. They might lose money if they cancel the contract? Good! It's called consequences for not doing due diligence when signing a contract Not immediately voiding the contract makes them complicit in ever abuse that occurs as a result of someone following Emma's advice.

[@whatlikeitshardd]

idk it feels like everyone just glosses over the fact that vanta black seems like a pretty dangerous substance that not everyone SHOULD have access to? Like it's not even actual paint and wouldn't be very accessible even without Kapoor because of how it's used. I don't think he's this big evil villain people make him out to be.

[@willowtree7326]

You are right, it's really dangerous and expensive to produce the company that creates it choose to work with anish kapoor quote! "because we didnt have the bandwidth to work with more that one...we decided anish would be perfect" anish Kapoor also said “It’s great for it to have a colloquial name, its own lingo,” “I call it ‘The Bean,’ too.” so like even him being this big pretensious meany who hates it when ppl have nicknames for his public free to look at art is this false narrative people have constructed around him.

[@daan8695]

You are absolutely right. The company was **never** going to make it available to everyone. Anish Kapoor just happened to be the one they made the deal with. Another **incredibly** important angle that people seem to miss is that Kapoor is Jewish and painting him (no pun intended) as this greedy guy is playing into antisemitic stereotypes. If someone makes a 30 minute video about the topic, I would expect them to at least touch on the first point, which is not incredibly hard to find.

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@daan8695Sometimes a spade is just a spade. Sometimes the curtains really are just blue. He may have been picked but uh, he agreed to it, yall. And it is unfortunate he is Jewish so it may seem like he’s being stereotyped as greedy, but that has nothing to do with why he’s an insufferable.

[@haggisa]

@@daan8695Oh please, critiquing a rich guy for doing something elitist isn’t playing into any stereotypes. It’s be like me, a Polish person, getting aggrieved that a Polish guy who stole a bunch of stuff is being criticised, because its plays into stereotypes of Poles as thieves.

[@justme-qd6qb]

Still, then the company who sold it to him could've dealt with it right? And decide if they wanted to sell it to people who wanted to buy it. If Kapoor is capable of using it safely surely there's at least 1 other person who can use it safely too. I think where he really dropped the ball was 'copy righting it' (idk if that's the proper legal term) and ensuring he was the only one who could use it up front, which is just inherently exclusionary

[@GwendolynnBY]

stuart semple is a wage thief. look up the news article "Artist Stuart Semple in row with assistants who say they weren’t paid"

[@TallTeenTurtle]

There were a lot of little bits and pieces skipped over that add important nuance to this story -Anish Kapoor may be a pretentious jerk but people used this feud as an excuse to be anti-Indian and antisemetic. Both groups get stereotyped as greedy and the way this feud was talked about (in general not necesarily by Emma) encouraged that. - Stuart Semple is not a selfless hero. He used this feud to make a profit. And while I cant fault him for that I think its important to note that he has been sued by his employees for failure to pay them what they are owed. Also he is pushing NFTs. -The company that makes Vanta Black approached Kapoor and choose to sell the rights to him only. They never intended to sell it to a bunch of other artists. - One of the ways this story was popularized was thru a tumblr post which was full of inaccuracies and bias.

[@gracel2mart]

Big oof on the NFTs

[@magpielark]

Yes! I was kind of nervous to watch this because the common narrative about Anish Kapoor and Stuart Semple is very much the one that Semple himself has constructed. Like you said, Kapoor might be kind of a jerk but this framing of his relationship to Vanta Black is pretty dishonest and was definitely pushed by Semple to paint (ha) himself as a hero. Vanta Black is incredibly dangerous and volatile and the company producing it would need to very closely work with anyone using it. They only had the capacity (time/resources/etc) to work with one artist, so they picked one whose work would suit the product. Also while Anish Kapoor did initially dislike people using the nickname "The Bean" for Cloud Gate, he's changed his mind. In an interview with the Chicago Sun Times in 2017, he said he also calls it The Bean. That interview is actually really great - it also gets into some of how conservative groups (like the NRA) have weaponized his work as a reason to be racist (like highlighting The Bean as a 'foreign object' in an American city).

[@sophroniel]

Antisemitism?? Idk about the anti-anything but amish kapoor himself, unrelated to his race, is an absolutely trash person. I should add that I have no illusions of Semple doing this whole thing out of altruism, but he's a lot better than Kapoor, who is a humourless, stuck up prig with all sorts of privileges most artists could never even dream of. As a jewish artist myself I am familiar with how .... uninviting the art world can be, let's just say, and Semple has dealt with a lot of homophobia himself, sometimes even at the butt of Anish Kapoor himself.

[@MissBeth705]

I was just coming here to comment about this as well. While Anish Kapoor may be a self centered jewel who is awful to work with, It’s pretty disturbing to see the public line up to cast suspicion and aspersion for a Jewish man who is perceived to be hoarding power, greedy, unfairly obtained his wealth, etc…I mean, the list of antisemitic tropes is a mile long with this one. I kept waiting for Emma to mention this and was disappointed she didn’t. She typically seems to be very aware of these types of things with others. The Jewish people are proud of the accomplishments of Anish Kapoor. I hope if the accusations of his personality being less than stellar, are true he should definitely be more considerate of how he treats people, but I also think as an Indian Jew, he may be getting a larger than his fair share of criticism for this.

[@MissBeth705]

Haha jerk not jewel*

[@Mihakuu]

Not the better health sponsor 😢

[@Alexacake19]

Emma nooo 😫 I’m glad others have already brought up BetterHelp.. I hope you’ll do some research and maybe rethink working with them. Thanks for the video though, I love watching everything you put out ❤

[@avapingbaby]

Stuart's paints are AMAZING, by the way. I have Blk 2.0, and it literally makes anything I paint it on look like there's a portal to the abyss opening up on the surface. Big fan of Pinkest Pink too.

[@yvaincallipso84]

I have been following this drama for years. I freaking love Stuart Semple and his singlehandedly crusade to screw over/troll Anish Kapoor

[@AM-kr4pv]

It's art in and of itself 😙👌

[@alexisc3658]

I am in no way connected to the art world but I have been following this drama for years. Such petty drama I love it.

[@tb4546]

I think the bit of Anish Kapoor considering vanta-blackface has got to be one of the funniest I’ve seen on yourube

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

I laughed so hard, I spit water at my monitor at that scene!

[@maddy7411]

Noooooo! Not butterhelp!!!

[@myowlhasantlers]

Been following this since the beginning and I can say Stuart Semple has always struck me as a genuine and decent person. He does a lot to support small artists and the community and he's open and fair in his hiring practices. His social media always feels like trying to make the world a bit better. The "feud" is the most beautiful sort of petty and punk to be had. I personally have used pinkest pink, black 3.0 as well as a few of his other pigments. They're fun to play with and very reasonably priced. A thing that doesn't really get brought up enough is that his paints smell really nice. Whatever binding agent is in them is sort of floral? It's absolutely bizarre but in a good way.

[@sunheart_aquarelle]

Same here. Do you remember that there was this wave of people who turn coated when Semple tried nfts, and suddenly he was the devil and suddenly Kapoor was misunderstood. Funny how they went away on a dime.

[@lemonknife]

hes known for underpaying his employees and does NFTs. of course you think hes decent, he tries so hard to portray himself as the robin hood of the art world when hes just using this stupid drama as free promo for his paints and people eat it up

[@BeaTheBear28]

This is one of my favourite stories of all time, it's honestly hilariously petty

[@emmainthemoment]

oh same. just pure pettiness all around

[@kezia8027]

@@emmainthemoment Emma, your sponsor is a fraud and actively harming marginalized communities! PLEASE don't do sponsorships for this HORRIFIC company! They are under investigation by the FTC!! This company is absolutely HORRENDOUS! PLEASE! Being in your circle, there are no doubt MANY vulnerable people who might be taken advantage of because of your endorsement of this horrific scam. PLEASE don't do these sponsorships, it is morally wrong to support them.

[@bakedpotato1717]

⁠@@emmainthemomenthey, do you mind addressing people’s concerns about your sponsorship with better health? Do you plan to continue doing that?

[@morningtime7187]

Ironic to do a bunch of research and talk about dodgy companies but ignore that when taking sponsorships. Also I used to like Semple until he jumped on NFTs and doubled down when people pointed out the problems

[@ksen1011]

Anish: doesn't like ppl calling Cloudgate "the bean" Me: still calls the Willis Towers "Sears Tower" 😂 but also, if not bean, why bean shaped 🤣

[@m.i7211]

Kapoor changed his mind actually. The Chicago Sun asked him how he feels about the nickname, and he says “It’s great for it to have a colloquial name, its own lingo. I call it ‘The Bean’ too.”

[@adancingpotato4327]

Stuart Semple is honestly an artists' artist. Yeah, he's made money from his colors and own art but at least he sees other artists as his equals and doesn't actively stamp down on them.

[@TallTeenTurtle]

is his feud with kapoor not actively stamping down on another artist? Like, kapoor is fine he doesnt need my defense here but thats literally what semple is doing here; disparaging another artist for his own profit.

[@MooseMedley]

⁠@@TallTeenTurtle tolerance cannot tolerate intolerance

[@TallTeenTurtle]

@@MooseMedley how is that relevent here? the original commentor was saying semple doesnt put down other artists when he literally does. it has nothing to do with intolerance.

[@MooseMedley]

@@TallTeenTurtle bro 😭😭 it’s a saying that means tolerance (in this case, an artist’s artist is tolerant and accepting of other artists) cannot tolerate intolerance (in this case, Kapoor is an anti-artist artist, meaning an artist’s artist cannot tolerate their intolerant behavior against other artists). It’s a classic paradox.

[@kwarra-an]

Maybe he should pay his staff if he's such a stand-up guy

[@annikar7609]

I think you should look into better help, there’s definitely a catch

[@HeyShayShay]

Im always down to hear about some drama but things like this make me SO glad that I'm just a regular normal person who would never find myself in any of this lol

[@jojoschoreography5719]

Emma, I love you and the content you put out. Genuinely one of my favorite KZbinrs. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed in your choice of sponsorship this video. BH has so many controversies and unfavorable stories coming out about it, that it doesn’t paint those supporting it in the best light ( pun intended). I encourage you to look closer into sponsors reaching out for future videos. That being said, I totally understand this is your job and you need that bag. It’s a tricky situation. All in all though, I really enjoyed this video and would love to see more like it! Thanks for all your videos and I’m excited to see what you have cooking next!

[@asmrtpop2676]

It’s not that tricky. A drama channel wasn’t aware to do bare minimum research into a sponsor? I don’t buy it. It’s super scummy.

[@GhostBirds]

i love this drama so much, i remember reading about it on tumblr for the first time and being obsessed! Partially bc im within proximity of The Bean, and rarely do i ever have personal experience with any popular tea. Great video!

[@ValentineSeras]

Hey Emma, I just wanted to let you know of a correction you might want to make regarding the coverage of Singularity Black, in your screenshot it says 20cm^2 whereas you state the coverage as 20mm. :) I love this video and all of your drama videos!

[@wimpi1721]

address the bh sponsorship at least…

[@michellee1190]

On a completely separate topic, I did a search and noticed you don’t seem to have any videos covering anything to do with designer Alice Strathmore. I may never have heard of her if it wasn’t for an gifted copy of a book called “Sweater Quest”, which documents one woman’s attempt at knitting a cardigan from Strathmore’s “Tutor Roses” book of patterns, while also delving into Strathemore’s contentious/litigious relationship with the larger fiber arts community. When the KZbin algorithm first served me one of your videos I was like, “Oh, it’s ’Sweater Quest’ but without the sweater.” And I was surprised to find that you might not have looked into all that, but then I remembered there’s the internet and no shortage of drama of any kind so maybe not all that surprising. (Particularly since all that drama may be pre- or very early internet which might make research difficult.) Well, I think you’d like that book, even if you can’t get an episode out of the topic.

[@sonotdown998]

THIS JUST IN: “British Artist Diagnosed With First Case Of ‘Vantablack Lung’ Disease.”

[@mildredflemyng-middleton4795]

the description of how Vanta Black works reminds me of how black velvet looks darker than smooth black fabric

[@davyse]

I think you kind of skipped over that it's not just about Anish Kapoor getting exclusive use of vanta black, it's about all limiting of artists use of colors, Semple has other paints reflecting other colors that have been copyrighted/trademarked. Can absolutely recommend trying Semples paints, but will warn that all the premixed ones are scented. The glowiest glow in the dark pigment is an absolute banger.

[@VolatileChemical]

if you ever wanted to do another video about a fascinating historical intersection of art, science and criticism, albeit from a less recent era, i'd love to see one about Georges Seurat, the late 19th century french painter best known for his enormous pointillist painting "Saturday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (aka "Sunday in the Park", which everyone knows from sight if not by name). his life was dramatized in the great Stephen Sondheim musical "Sunday in the Park with George". Seurat's advancement of pointillism, which he called "chromoluminarism", used the latest scientific revelations about vision and colour theory to create a radical new style of painting where every colour and tone seen in the work was created not by actually painting THAT colour or tone, but by painting tiny dots using the composite primary colours which are mixed together in the eye to produce some new colour. so like if he wanted to paint something purple, he would paint it in tiny dots of red and blue, which to the eye appeared as purple unless you looked incredibly closely, because he'd learned that's really what human eyes are doing with ALL colour, with all light. and he did similar experiments to produce certain brightnesses just by combinations of dots of other brightness or darkness. his approach were considered by many critics and painters as an insane encroachment of science into art which produced unimpressive results, and he died at 31 in poverty and obscurity, but his work and his theories about colour and light in painting and art have been widely recognized as brilliant and very ahead of his time

[@iamaunicorn1232]

Alright. Not that Anish is the good guy in this fight or anything but the pinkest middle finger was a good comeback. It is layered like art should be. Its about how Staurt wants art to be free so he cant really keep it from Anish. But it is also about how Anish is an entitled rich baby who finds a way to do what he wants, consequences be damned. It is also just funny as it is a middle finger coated in pink dust. Layers.

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

I also give him credit for the pink middle finger. Appropriate. Doesn't erase his level of assitude over the situation, but it was a better response than him simply gloating he scored some Pinkest Pink.

[@CMBauer]

I’ve used better help several times and every time sucked worse than the last. Please don’t use them if you have any other option at all.

[@peglamphier4745]

I appreciate the carefully researched, professionally acted, re-enactment.And the staging? Chef's kiss. It's like we were there.

[@mirih5368]

You made some really good points about art accessibility and Anish Kapoor using his wealth as a barrier to entry for other artists. Now let's talk about how he got that wealth. To demand and then recieve millions for your art, you're selling to the super wealthy. The super wealthy use fine art primarily for three purposes: as a status symbol, as a tax write off (charitable contributions and donations are a notoriously tricky and loophole-filled part of tax code that I'm not going to get into here), and as a way to launder money. Fine art is easy to purchase in private auctions with little to no government oversight, relatively easy to store, and can be easily sold in private sales. Thus, it stands to reason that if Anish Kapoor is wealthy from his art sales, his wealth comes from at best questionable sources. He made his money off the greed of the wealthy, and now that he's one of the wealthy, he's displaying the same greed and disregard for others that made him wealthy in the first place. Do I think he's some kind of evil supervillain? Probably not. Do I think he's a deeply unethical individual? Absolutely.

[@swizzybrizzy]

Always feels icky when a CC accepts a sponsorship from Betterhelp, especially given how controversial they are.

[@AprilFl0wer]

CCs aren’t your friends, they’re in this for the money. Always remember that

[@Cozycompanioncorner]

As a Chicago native when I signed onto youtube and saw you did a video on The Bean Daddy I dropped everything I was doing

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

The Bean Daddy? LOVE IT!

[@Froggycolouring]

Fun fact: McDonalds owns the red they use and Reeces candy owns the orange they use What a world we live in corporations can own colours :/

[@jginge67]

I know this is a nitpick, but the thing that really bothers me about Kapoors comment on the exclusivity deal is just... its not a good comparison? Yes you can work with people on exclusive stainless steel works, but those dont make you the sole and entire user of stainless steel in the art world. Its quite frankly pig headed and narcissistic

[@zoeylace4778]

Ahh man. Just found this channel and been kinda binging only for them to have taken a Better Help sponsor :/ There goes any respect I had, kinda dissappointed. I understand being desperate and just taking any and every sponsorship but they are and have been well known as a terrible company. Two seconds of looking into them would have told them that if they didn't already know from just existing on KZbin. Shows how little care they put into things

[@Maybeitsmerlin]

I know it’s not drama, but I would love a video of you covering the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain in the 1800s. It was a movement that was against mass production and worker exploitation and the perception that crafts were only for the impoverished. It supported workers owning their patterns and designs and long lasting and practically beautiful design that wasn’t just opulent for the sake of it. Which is sadly incredibly relevant today. It later evolved into Art Nouveau, which is my favourite architectural and design movement, I feel like you would really enjoy looking into it, and I would really enjoy a video on the topic from you, because your content is so well researched and presented :)

[@ivypoisonx5692]

your videos are usually out of the realm of my understanding, and I've never heard of any of the people or topics included, yet I find myself super drawn to watching every time you post.

[@Qichiquiche]

Hey Emma have you ever considered covering some of the cosplay contest drama? There have been a couple of pretty high profile incidents this year of some shenanigans and sore losers. Would love to see your take on it.

[@frankensteinlives]

Oooh! I'd love to see that video!

[@rosebrown5332]

Hi Emma! I just discovered your channel today and love it so much! But I was so disappointed with your sponsor for this episode. I almost turned the video off and unsubscribed (I'm glad I didn't, because the video was wonderful). I can't imagine how hard it must be to get sponsors, and I can tell you've worked really, really hard to get to this point, but I really hope you reconsider advertising for Better Help in the future. x

[@AprilFl0wer]

Emma said they’re not gonna delete ad segment because then they “won’t get the money”… way to sell your soul at the expense of your audience…

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@AprilFl0werThat makes me feel better about no longer liking their videos anymore at least lol

[@maryannraley]

So now we have a response to those folks who say, "I'm only wearing black until something darker comes along." Cool. I love your videos.

[@asmrtpop2676]

Also reminder to everyone that it is 2023-do not fall for the influencer or creator excuse that they HAVE to take Better Help sponsors. Stop taking unethical sponsorships FFS.

[@tarotsushima3332]

Yeah, they don't have to take them initially but I think in the case of Emma it's probably contractual obligation, like you gotta do x amount of videos or we sue for breach of contract. But it also varies from company to company since with others the only consequence is not getting paid.

[@AprilFl0wer]

@@tarotsushima3332Emma didn’t do any research before signing those papers though.

[@AprilFl0wer]

@@tarotsushima3332they didn’t force Emma to take the sponsorship

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@tarotsushima3332It’s 2023 there is zero excuse for taking unethical sponsorships!!! A simple search on Better Help would reveal everything immediately.

[@FigletDarling]

Really disappointed to see a BetterHelp ad. Get your bag, but I've lost some respect for Emma after this.

[@asmrtpop2676]

Agreed, I don’t look at them the same way anymore. All youtubers are the same.

[@cass.cassandra1685]

No honey not better help sponsor. There is a catch…

[@user-wt5xq2ph3q]

So, if the properties of the artwork are entirely in the material used for it (aka, a solid slab of vanta black) who's really the artist? I would propose that it's not Anish Kapoor, but those who created the material he contracted to use.

[@boggygroggy]

why haven’t they deleted the video yet… and don’t hit me with the “they have a contract”, they weren’t forced to sign the contract.

[@AprilFl0wer]

they haven’t deleted it cause they don’t care

[@AprilFl0wer]

@acorn9134 they didn’t do the research at front, now them keeping the video up is harming people. Their fault entirely.

[@AprilFl0wer]

@acorn9134 do they care more about the contract than their fans?

[@AprilFl0wer]

@acorn9134 they haven’t addressed it yet, and it’s been over 24 hours.

[@wimpi1721]

True fuck Emmainthemoment

[@shontoo6979]

Here to defend seemingly crazy amount of Untitled art-leaving works untitled is not that uncommon. You may never really know if your work is done done. Or you may not want to influence the perception of your work by providing a Title. OR you simply doesn't want to waist your creative juices Titling a bunch of pieces.. especially when you ar finished and want to move on. Kapoor has a number of other weird character traits, but leaving works Untitled is not one. 😂 Love the Visual Art drama. Thanks for sharing.

[@CrymsynSymphony]

I love this story and this drama. It's just so much fun and so petty in some ways. Thanks for covering it and I wish you the best of luck with your new paints.

[@halcyon17]

Chicagoan here, my favorite story about the bean was when one of my friends from high school infiltrated this conspiracy Facebook group that was convinced that there was 'a little man trapped inside the bean' and that they needed to free him. My friend just encouraged the delulu and moved on

[@merizagomez7573]

Thank you for covering this drama! This is something I found out about a year ago and it is very interesting for me as a 2-D artist! Please do more art world drama because there are plenty of those situations to cover and it is very interesting!

[@TheCripeCrew]

Maybe for your next video you should explore the controversy around Better Help. 😡

[@AprilFl0wer]

the better help sponsor is so horrific 😭😭😭

[@jenniferoden9343]

I usually hate "drama" videos...but I absolutely love your channel. I love your thorough research, well laid out storytelling and unbiased approach...with a touch of wimsy. Thanks for the time and effort you put into each of your videos.

[@VonVikoGoat]

anish kapoor buying exclusive rights to a color is like those artists who exposed other artists for pallette stealing bc they used the same colors of their ocs for their ocs

[@PhillipsLacy]

My 11-year-old found this so interesting that he hid on the staircase listening to it until he got caught. He was supposed to be in bed, but hear a bit of it when he got up to go to the bathroom and couldn't resist trying to listen to the whole story.

[@Shoibyrd]

I love how this story randomly resurfaces.

[@bizm]

I remember comparing the TikTok DIY drama to the Anish Kapoor/Vantablack drama in a comment on that video, and boy am I excited to see you break this one down!! Time to grab the popcorn - this is going to be so good!

[@MezzoForte4]

I have Black 3.0 but it's still sealed ever since I got it from the Kickstarter because I have no idea what to use it on. 😅

[@magickaldust1213]

This would be me lmao 😅

[@aimee8135]

Hey, I love your videos, but Better Help is not it; please look into their many issues.

[@saltacienvecesmas]

please no, stop with better help. please.

[@jinxedfates]

stop supporting betterhelp

[@kowore6761]

Honestly, a degree of criticism needs to be leveled towards Semple as well I feel like. Obviously Kapoor's behavior, especially in interpersonal interactions, deserves critique- no one is denying that- but Semple is ignoring that vantablack is hard to make and difficult to work with, along with the fact that vantablack ISNT PAINT. He's acting like a child that just got told no for the first time, and has resorted to calling the person who said no a big meanie stinky poopoohead Also editing to add: Semple is also worth around 20 million British pounds. He's also a multi millionaire

[@caustic1611]

I bought Black 3.0 when it was being Kickstarted and I can say with absolute certainty, it's the most gorgeous black paint I've ever seen. I wish I were more of a painter and less of a crafter so I could get the most out of it.

[@ladykimono401]

If you REALLY want to become depressed about the fine arts community, read about the zombie formalism art movement...

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

Thank you. This is what I needed to tamp down my excitement over people and creativity.

[@kettlewoods]

Stuart Semple isn't a great person, either. I don't have the receipts to prove it as this was probably 8 or 9 years ago and we have eachother blocked, but he received a negative comment on one of his Instagram posts from a random person, and he shared it in his Instagram story with their full name and other identifying information (doxxed them). Myself and a LOT of others called him out for it and asked him to delete it, and he was HOSTILE in the replies about how that was the risk people took on public platforms, that the person should be able to take it if they could dish it out, etc. It was super gross and put a random person in danger -- all because they left a comment critiquing his art.

[@DevilOnlyKnitsLace]

People who get themselves embroiled in this level of petty are never "good" people. They're simply on a higher level of villainy.

[@CearoT]

There should be a note that Anish Kapoor rarely puts anything together himself. He is "above" that. As a sculptor myself and many friends who are, we know that there are two types of sculptors: designers who could never be a fabricator, and those who are hands on. He is the former and most of us find him so obnoxious.

[@asmrtpop2676]

Yes designers like him need to download Sims 4 or Minecraft imo

[@daceytyson4639]

10/10 recommend the pigments/paint Stuart makes. They’re so fun, and he has amazing other creations besides just these 2 colors, including one that glows like crazy

[@TheNinjaMeggie]

I absolutely love that you did this! My friend bought our friend group Stuart's black, pink, green, blue, and I think the glitter for us to make silly self portraits and his favorite thing when buying them was the promise that he wasn't in cahoots with Anish 😂 please continue to sprinkle in other art form drama like this so we don't only have to have pattern stealing drama! (Which is still amazing because of how silly it can get, don't get me wrong.) You are an amazing, wonderful, beautiful human being with a glowing soul that brings a smile to my face and I thank you for your videos! ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[@kirstenjohnsen3603]

Great video! No need to apologize for the science preamble, I can always do with more chemistry facts 😄 this is one of my favourite craft dramas and I didn't know how the carbon tubules were applied!

[@lucillereczek3201]

The crochet hook cigarette, I can't! I remember reading it on hobby drama and it is just as, or even more petty and entertaining. Especially having the history behind vantablack.

[@TamarLitvot]

I started watching this assuming I'd lose interest quickly -- I'm a fiber person so the fiber dramas are what I come for. But I found this story and your take on it fascinating. You certainly have a talent for telling a story! I'm going to ask my graphic designer daughter if she's heard about these different blacks.

[@eliholli]

I followed this story as it was unfolding, but you filled in a lot of details I had never heard before. Thank you for such a well-researched & thoughtful piece!

[@christinae]

I've followed all this fairly closely over the years so I almost skipped this one, but glad I didn't. I loved seeing the science and the social commentary given equal attention to the fun pettiness. Great job!

[@AprilFl0wer]

if u care about ur audience you will delete the ad segment!! Reupload the video without it!

[@Kaileighblue]

I didn't know Vantablack wasn't actually a paint and was some scientific process. It makes slightly more sense that it's not just something that can be casually shared. It still baffles me that a lot of these rich and famous artists don't really make their own art and the people behind it don't get the same recognition.

[@wimpi1721]

delete the ad segment

[@diremirebee]

I don't think they legally can

[@CJ-ht4rf]

@@diremirebee they can if they give the money back. That's what other creators have done

[@literarilywendy]

Thank you so much for covering this. I remember when this was initially going down and I ended up buying a bunch of black paint from Stewart Semple and honestly it was awesome.

[@chadrific]

Using the vanta black for stealth in military IS very scary. I grew up near Edwards Air Force Base when the a lot of the stealth bombers were created and it’s kinda wild how stealthy they are….like they don’t need to be even stealthier!!!

[@chelseaisbored]

absolutely love this video and this story, but please don’t accept another sponsorship from better help, i understand that right now you probably can’t do much contractually but please take your viewers concerns seriously when it comes to working with them again. mental health is important and im glad you’re trying to help people find quality accessible therapy options, unfortunately this isn’t one of them.

[@Skitterwayed]

As someone who was an art student in the UK when all of this came out, everyone found it HILARIOUS. Everyone was egging on Stuart Semple, it was a great distraction.

[@bemstie]

the better help sponsorship💀