Cobalt Blue and Orange
UCA Art Collection

Cobalt Blue and Orange

Colour is a vivid and familiar phenomenon. It has been studied intensely, yielding a rich stock of theory. Colour experience plays a substantive role in debates about colour ontology, in part owing to the difficulties many have had with defending colour objectivism. In theory, there are numerous colour ontologies that one could attach to each theory of experience. In practice, there are natural or familiar pairings that are emphasized by the viewer's experience. With that in mind, this exhibition shows works selected from the UCA art collection featuring the colours of cobalt blue and orange.

Orange and blue have exceptionally high contrast even when compared to other complementary colours. These colours represent opposites and emotions. Each of them represents a variety of opposing concepts,

Theory suggests that there is a subtle interplay between colour language, colour concepts, human culture, and colour vision on our subsequent perceptual experience and judgements involving colour categories.

Given that the different shades of colour form a visual continuum and given that we divide that continuum into different sets of colours, colours like orange, as opposed to very specific shades of colour like cobalt blue, the exhibition invites us to consider categorisation. In particular, to reflect on the notions of perceptual salience and linguistic relevance, and to question whether colour perception is indeed categorical

Call for Thoughts:

Be part of the conversation, Write or draw your thoughts on a post-it notes and display it on the wall.

Why is colour such a powerful force in our lives?

What effects can it have on our bodies and minds?

Where do the divisions originate?

What is orange to you?

What is cobalt blue to you?

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