Ryan McGinness on the Power of Corporate Brands

TL;DR

The artist discusses appropriating aesthetics and creating iconic symbols to communicate personal ideas, challenging corporate influence.

Transcript

well actually I don't appropriate logos and symbols but you could say that I appropriate the aesthetic and so I go through a sketch process to develop each individual drawing so if you looked at a at a painting and extracted just one symbol there's a development process that goes into developing just and creating just that one that one drawing and ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤬 Appropriating aesthetics and symbols involves a sketch process to create individual drawings.
• 🥹 Icons and logos hold transformative power, influencing the artist's artistic journey.
• 🤬 Creating personal symbols allows the artist to communicate unique ideas with accountability.
• 😑 The artist challenges corporate influence by subverting iconic symbols for personal expression.
• 🤬 Different requirements such as readability at various sizes shape the creation of symbols.
• 🤬 Personal symbols aim to communicate more than superficial meanings, prompting a double take.
• 🙃 Despite owning corporations, the artist critiques people's relationships with corporations in society.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the artist go about developing individual drawings?

The artist appropriates aesthetics and symbols through a sketch process, distilling down essential forms for quick readability across different sizes to create his own symbols.

Q: What influenced the artist to create his own icons?

Growing up in Virginia Beach, the artist saw the power of logos and symbols to elevate ordinary objects, leading him to want to communicate his own ideas through symbols he creates himself.

Q: What does the artist aim to achieve by creating his own symbols?

The artist seeks to subvert the corporate appropriation of symbols by using them to communicate more poetic and personal ideas in a responsible and accountable manner.

Q: How does the artist view corporations in relation to his art?

The artist is not against corporations themselves but rather the way people and corporations interact, with concerns about corporations having more rights than individuals in society.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The artist explores the process of developing individual drawings by appropriating aesthetics and symbols through a sketch process.

• Growing up in Virginia Beach, the artist realized the transformative power of icons and logos.

• By creating his own symbols, the artist seeks to communicate personal thoughts and ideas in a responsible and accountable manner.