Digital Hopeoutside the circle

The New Color

2011-ongoing By Egor Kraft
9 images shown across 3 rows. They show people, websites and different
colours.
Egor Kraft, The New Color, 2011–ongoing. Courtesy of the artist.

Egor Kraft’s The New Color proudly announces the discovery of a brand new colour: Neochrome. According to the creators of Neochrome, a company allegedly based in Pennsylvania, this hue “doesn’t have anything in common with the colours that we are used to.” In a radical – some might say, impossible – departure from the science of colour, Neochrome relies on none of the primary colours, a groundbreaking innovation that means it is not visible through our computer screens. Still, the product is for sale and the developers assure you it already has investment by some of the biggest names in technology. In several promotional videos, spokespeople describe Neochrome in life-altering terms: “I’m even jealous for the others who are yet to see it for the first time,” says one enthusiastic client.

Though the Neochrome product does not exist, artist Egor Kraft received significant interest from real companies seeking to invest in the innovation. So much so, in fact, that he published an entire book compiling letters from interested buyers. The packaging and framing of Neochrome evokes the real economy of speculation, hype and venture capital of today’s technology start-ups. It also reflects the ongoing belief that technology will not only solve our problems but also open up new, previously unimaginable horizons.

The New Color, 2011-ongoing by Egor Kraft.