by Aaron Jolley
Walter Benjamin famously spoke about 'the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction', and while I don't wish to go into a critical reading of his famous statements, I do think it bears thinking about how COVID 19 has forced us purely into the realm of 'the reproduction'.
Instead of a website, this project could have taken the form of many other public-facing activities. Us artists could have formed a parade, masked and walking through Leeds with 2 metres between us, carrying our artworks. This, while it would be interesting-the mobile exhibition- would I feel, have offered a poor experience for the viewer. While an interesting concept to make it harder to see the works on purpose, I fear in reality, we would loose audience engagement as people would have to keep a distance.
Likewise, works could potentially have been displayed in windows or in public spaces, although the legalities of meeting up would surely have blocked this as a viable option, and logistically it would have been hard to not only get the works to a shared space, but for that space to have good footfall amidst 'working-from-home' times.
Essentially then, the original has been ruled out of possibility by the context.
As such, we are reliant on the reproduction to do much of the heavy lifting. This will be of much less worry to some than it is to me, as I have long defended the importance of seeing artwork in the flesh- not in defence of some mystical artistic aura but for the in-person optic and physical experience. It remains true, that the experience of looking in close detail at an object, is near-impossible to replicate on flat, back-lit screens.
While it may break my heart that viewers will not be able to see the tracks of the brush mark upon the weave of my canvas, I'd be stupid to pretend that exhibiting online does not have its distinct advantages. For one, it is far more democratic. Anyone with decent internet should be able to engage with the works shown here, and in a broader sense that means that people of all incomes may eventually be able to engage with art in a way less ruled by classism (if the larger galleries were to adopt and promote this way of showing over the traditional in-person show).
Another distinct benefit is that art can become more convenient. Galleries shut for the night, websites do not. You only have to move your mouse to get to our website- you'd need a train ticket to visit the Tate. Making the art world more and more free and accessible is undoubtedly positive, and many issues of money, space and time can be overcome by the digital show.
My question is, what happens to the physical after this potential shift? If we are to see a rise in the online exhibition, will the physical art world shrivel up into a more exclusive parody of itself? We live in a country that has systematically belittled the arts for years let's not forget, especially with the example of the current government suggesting we [artists/creatives] all retrain. Does COVID signal a shift away from the physical, and with it even tighter restriction of resources for many artists?
Of course, this is all speculative and I don't think that physical exhibitions are going away any time soon. But the value of the original is in doubt, and an understanding of this foreshadows a radically different art context for those willing to ponder the consequences.