ANA MENDES

Wild salmon owe their distinctive pink-orange flesh to a carotenoid pigment absorbed naturally through their diet of krill and small crustaceans.

Farmed salmon, by contrast, is raised on processed feed. They lack access to these crustaceans and develop grey flesh as a result.

To meet consumer expectations, the farming industry adds synthetic pigments to their processed salmon feed — a legal and widespread practice that restores the familiar colour of salmon pink.

So standardized is this process that the industry uses a colour-matching tool called the SalmonFan — a dedicated colour chart, similar to a paint swatch card, that allows farmers to select the shade of pink they wish their fish to display at the market.

In 2019, Ana Mendes initiated the project Salmon Pantone Series, through which she created fashion garments such as ties, shirts, scarves and bags, all dyed with a similar carotenoid used to feed farmed salmon.

In 2024, the artist invited the Korean fashion designer Muypark to create a special edition reflecting on the complex culture and history of Korea. The Salmon Pantone Collection - A.M. x Y. J. & M.P. traces the evolution of the white shirt in Asia, from an undergarment cloth to a standardized design established through colonialism and western influence. 

Ties and shirts have long been a symbol of male-dominated financial worlds and corporate power. Ana Mendes reclaims these symbols with salmon pink, a color of resistance and solidarity; a color imbued with defiance by LGBTQ and feminist movements alike.

Salmon Pantone Collection is on show as part of “Voir la Mer” - an exhibition at the MAIF Social Club, Paris until 25 July 2026.