Kelley Walker’s retooled recycling logo is an impressive example of self-reflexivity in art-making. In a cyclical chain of associations the image refers to its own lack of originality as a pre-existing emblem of ‘recycling,’ to the conventionality of the artistic strategy of appropriation itself as one continually ‘recycled’, and to the feedback loop of its own self-consciousness. E. Palmerton, “Grey Flags,” Frieze, October 2006 Referencing both Warhol’s antagonism and American commercialism, Kelley Walker’s diverse body of work challenges conventions of fine art. Politicizing imagery, questioning traditions of materials, and manipulating symbols, Walker encourages viewers to engage his works with a critical lens toward American corruption. The present lot exemplifies this function by addressing our relationship with iconic symbolism such as the recycling stamp. Cut from steel and pressed with gold leaf, the sculpture is a gilded reminder of America’s waste and the ubiquity of images that allude to its struggle.