Art in the Digital during and after Covid: Aura and Apparatus of Online Exhibitions

Abstract

The public health measures that were put in place to contain COVID-19 impacted the lives of people and institutions alike. For its global impact and transformation, the pandemic has the potential to be classified as a mega-event. Such radical events have become great opportunities to the testing of new technologies and forms of organisation, (Masi, 2016) that might in the future become prevalent. The impact of the pandemic was particularly felt in the contemporary art world, as the entire cultural activity was suspended. During this period, art institutions and collectives around the world reacted by adapting and providing alternative materials online. This paper aims at reflecting upon the challenges facing the exhibition of contemporary art online. Following Boris Groys’ (2016) actualisation of Walter Benjamin, we problematise how the digital reproduction of art affects the aura of an artwork. Proposing a critique of the apparatus of digital platforms, we analyse how the digital reproduces and enhances ideological structures that overpass the whole of society. For that purpose we analyse how four different organisations (an artist-run space, an art gallery, a museum and an art biennale) have migrated their activity to online platforms. The case-studies will allow a broad understanding of the different approaches available – with some radically taking advantage of the digital environment, and others merely digitising the role taken henceforth by printed catalogues.

Innovation and Research of Digital Artwork Design Based on Big Data and Integrated Media

“…The final point is that the lack of trading volume and the inability to circulate commercially greatly limit its development. Traditional art can be auctioned at Christie's and Sotheby's and can also be circulated in various art galleries, antique streets, and e-commerce platforms [14]. Because of its easily copied nature, for a long time, there was no trading channel for digital art at all.…”

Adaptation of the e-servicescape model to the online exhibition industry

“…Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on all industries around the world, and the exhibition industry was no exception. For safety reasons, physical public exhibitions were forbidden in many countries (Amorim and Teixeira, 2021). According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (2020), 72.6% of events were canceled in the first quarter of 2020, which led to a 15.1% drop in industry performance when compared with 2019.…”

Digital audiovisual content in marketing and distributing cultural products during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece

“…The artistic experience has changed, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and arts have seen drastic shifts relevant to their creation, distribution and communication. Place – which has significant implications for art organisations – has become a virtual setting in which art is created, distributed and promoted (Amorim and Teixeira, 2021). Art activities no longer only occur in the context of a physical setting, but also in virtual settings, whether the setting is a car, a concert hall, a theatre, coffee houses, or a church (Psomadaki et al , 2019).…”