Re-Visiting Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction

Walter Benjamin’s essay “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction” has become a milestone for art theory, reconsidering the way that art establishes some statements about politics and social environment. Benjamin’s work is crucial to distinguish between classic and modern art through strong concepts like “aura” and “uniqueness”. The richness of this theory allowed contemporary art productions through the second half of 20^th Century to state their political and social relevance for the people they aim to reach. With the arise of digital tools, art practices were modified, establishing new ways for art production and re-production. Through this reality, most of Benjamin’s theory should be revised to understand this new digital art production. This work intents to apply fundamental Benjamin’s concepts like aura, oeuvre singularity, cult value, exhibition value and art politics in post-modern digital era of art production and reproduction. The main purpose is to demonstrate that the powerful Benjamin’s concepts can still be active to revise the way digital art can talk to people plunged in over-informed societies where post-truth, fake news and polarization is constructing politics and understanding multicultural societies.