Cadmium Orange 

Curator: The Harshaw Chemical Company offers us something unique with their "Cadmium Orange." It's less about conventional art and more about the raw materials that enable it. My initial thought? It's pure energy, bottled. Editor: I see industry, standardization…almost a clinical approach to colour. It certainly makes you consider the role corporations play in shaping artistic expression, doesn't it? Curator: Absolutely! The very act of naming and categorizing cadmium orange transforms it from a substance into a commodity, dictating its application. Does that diminish the creative process, or simply democratize it? Editor: It professionalizes it, I think. The science of color impacts the art that’s produced and how it's later marketed, sold, and collected by institutions. Curator: So, it's not just about the orange, but the system that surrounds the orange. Editor: Exactly. It really demonstrates the intricate web of social, economic and even political factors that shape our artistic landscape. Curator: Makes you wonder what stories this pigment could tell on canvas, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. Every vibrant stroke begins somewhere.