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Thus reproduction — mechanical or digital — is the source and vehicle for a work’s “aura.” A spectator’s encounter with a “famous” work as an object is distinctly different than their encounter with an unknown work because it is the wide dissemination of that work through reproduction that creates the particular experience: cultural tourism is based on this idea of encounters with originals whose aura is a function of their being widely reproduced. The more fully a work is disseminated, the greater its “aura.” Andy Warhol’s persona, and his construction of superstars who are “famous for being famous” demonstrates the transient, contingent nature of this conception of “aura,” its socially-constructed nature, and its reliance upon reproduction for existence.

Found via this 2023 Nettrice Gaskins piece on the concept of aura in AI art.

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