Logos 2017

Ai Weiwei's "Logos" is a large-scale wallpaper that remixes symbols of power and control. It's like he's taken the visual language of corporate branding and turned it into a dizzying, almost psychedelic pattern. What strikes me is how these gold emblems are repeated and arranged into mandala-like forms. It's like a visual echo chamber, where the louder these symbols get, the more they cancel each other out. Up close, you can see each emblem is rendered with crisp lines and metallic tones, giving them a sense of authority, but the overall effect is chaotic. This work reminds me of Andy Warhol's silkscreens, where repetition transforms mundane objects into icons. But while Warhol celebrated consumer culture, Ai Weiwei seems to be questioning its power. By turning logos into mere patterns, he deflates their authority, suggesting that even the most powerful symbols are ultimately just empty signifiers.