The many contemporary shades of Prussian blue

In this ongoing exhibition at KNMA, 19 contemporary artists interpret Prussian blue in the context of their work

- Meera Menezes

What do two 18th century German alchemists have to do with an exhibition at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), based in the National Capital Region? A lot apparently. When Johann Jacob Diesbach tried to create a batch of cochineal red around 1706 in Johann Konrad Dippel's laboratory in Berlin, an accident led to the concoction turning a deep blue instead. This synthetic pigment was termed Berlin blue and then Prussian blue because the Prussian army used it to dye soldiers' jackets.

The colour now lends its name to a show at KNMA's Noida, Uttar Pradesh, space. Titled Prussian Blue: A Serendipitous Colour That Altered the Trajectory Of Art, it is curated by Arshiya Lokhandwala. When the colour was first invented, artists in particular were excited, viewing it as a replacement for the expensive ultramarine, produced by grinding lapis lazuli. Lokhandwala called upon 19 contemporary artists to use Prussian blue as their muse and interpret it in the context of their own work. The result is a novel and varied exploration across media.