Cobalt Filter (no more yellow), 2016 - Kasper Bosmans
about this work
Cobalt Filter (no more yellow) (2016) was published on the occasion of Smalt (Cobalt Filter and Cream), Kasper Bosmans' proposal for Billboard Series. This long-term art in public space project in Ghent was initiated by artlead in September 2015. Each year, four artists are invited to create a work that considers the status of the image and fosters a productive dialogue with the surrounding neighbourhood and urban landscape. The presentation of each new Billboard is accompanied by an edition.
Billboard Series deals with change and transformation. These ideas are present in Bosmans’ proposal; his first Legend to be created and presented on such a large scale. The starting point of Bosmans’ research for this work is smalt, a pigment made of ground cobalt blue glass. Smalt was a commonly used pigment in European painting from the 15th to the 17th century. Pieter Paul Rubens used it, as did Antoon Van Dyck. The vibrant blue hues of the pigment however discolor to grey over a period of a century. Science, culture and history really come together in this new work. Because smalt is basically finely ground blue glass, there are also quite some references to the history and use of this specific material.
Cobalt Filter (no more yellow) revisits one of the motives Bosmans combines in his billboard, more precisely the idea of cobalt filters which block out yellow light. This edition comes in a white wooden frame.
