The Work of Art in the Age of Influence

In his 1935 text, Walter Benjamin posits the "aura," which is derived from authenticity and locale. Benjamin describes the conditions that give an artwork aura and why its limitless reproduction is impossible: presence in time and space. What this means is that access to an artwork is finite, its capacity for consumption limited.

On the internet, we see a manifestation of Benjamin's aura phenomenon, characterised by increased restrictions like paywalls, member access, even compulsory advertising – all put in place to protect the aura of the content. Taking this into account, we investigate the artwork in the age of social media influence.

Considering the internet as a place, presence of social media influencers has exploded over the past decade. The proliferation of social media influence is reliant on ads: intrinsically linked with the evolution of digital marketing. Generation of "content" is both a means of creative expression and a lucrative profession.

As "content" from influencers is itself influenced by sponsors, background commodities also become more subliminal, often involving product placement, staged encounters, and false if not divisive narratives that compromise credibility.

Consider the term "follower," which is eerily adjacent to cult rhetoric. Curating one's feed through the act of "following" is just one of many consumption-oriented rituals that social media platforms design to construct "real" worlds inside of imagined, digital frameworks. Beyond building social capital and fame, the 'followers', a social influencer cultivates elevate the person to celebrity status.

Through public intervention, the exhibition interrogates the validy of influence and mourns the loss of the internet as a "free" space. Kabinett both dismantles and reclaims the aura of the internet and of the white cube. The artwork is displaced from its common trajectory, prioritising accessibility for all and inserting itself into the path of the pedestrian.