Black Oxide of Iron (Mars Black) 1941

Editor: Here we have "Black Oxide of Iron (Mars Black)," manufactured by C.K. Williams & Co. It's a jar of pigment and a painted card. It feels very industrial and detached, yet I wonder, what narratives does it hold? Curator: This is about the commodification of art, the reduction of artistic expression to a purchasable substance. Who has access to this pigment? Who is excluded? How does this relate to power structures within the art world and beyond? Editor: So, by focusing on the pigment, we reveal broader social inequalities. Curator: Precisely. Consider the history of pigment production, its links to colonial exploitation, the environmental impact. Even something as seemingly simple as black pigment carries complex layers of meaning. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. Curator: It invites us to critically examine the materials and systems that underpin artistic creation.