Unlike most colors, MAGENTA has no actual physical wavelength, so it does not exist in the visible spectrum of light. Rather, the perceived color is created by our brain when our eyes detect wavelengths from the two far ends of the visible spectrum (Red and Violet).
In mid 2014, I began investigating the phenomenon known as the color MAGENTA, leading me to work closely with the color experts at the Pantone Color Institute. This work with the Institute would later inspire the creation of a ‘new’ color (HeForShe Magenta) for the United Nations’ ground-breaking initiative, HeForShe – a global solidarity movement for gender equality. HeForShe launched in Sep. 2014 by UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, mobilizing more than 100K men in the first three days and created 1.2 Billion conversations on Twitter in the first week. Learn more HERE
The resulting series of MAGENTA monochromes makes the viewer an active participant in completing the artwork. Because the color MAGENTA only exists in the mind of the viewer, it does not exist on the canvas and therefore can not exist without the viewer. Thus, the MAGENTA monochromes not only fulfill the Duchampian assertion that ‘a work of art is completed by the viewer,’ the series is completely dependent on the viewer in order to exist.
