Essay - Lending Aura and "Terroir" to Artistic Production: Strategies to Recover Authenticity in the Digital Age

Image contrasting an original artwork and a digital reproduction

Introduction: The Search for Authenticity in a World of Reproduction

In the digital age, art faces a significant challenge: maintaining its authenticity in a context where reproduction is instantaneous and global. Walter Benjamin (1936), in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction [1], argued that mass reproduction corrupts the aura of a work of art—its uniqueness and presence, tied to its original context. Similarly, the concept of terroir, originating from enology, can be adapted to art to describe the connection between a work and its geographical, historical, or cultural context.

This article proposes practical strategies for artists to recreate aura and terroir in their productions, resisting the standardization imposed by the cultural industry and digital dematerialization.

Next, we explore how these strategies can be applied, with concrete examples and theoretical foundation.concretos e embasamento teórico.

Theoretical Foundations

A comparison chart of Walter Benjamin's concept of aura and artistic terroir, where aura is associated with the uniqueness of a work and terroir with the connection to the geographical, cultural, and historical context

Aura: The Uniqueness of the Work of Art

Walter Benjamin (1936) defined the aura as the intangible quality that confers uniqueness to a work, tied to its physical and temporal presence. He argued that mechanical reproduction, such as photography and cinema, diminishes this aura by decontextualizing the work [1]. In the digital age, where images are infinitely replicated as pixels or NFTs, the aura seems even more threatened. However, contemporary artists have found ways to preserve or recreate this aura by using techniques that emphasize the materiality and uniqueness of the work.

Terroir Artistic: Context as Identity

The concept of terroir, widely used in enology, refers to the environmental factors—soil, climate, topography—that give unique character to wine. In art, artistic terroir can be understood as the influence of geographical, cultural, and historical context on the creation of a work, also including community practices and collective memories. For example, Candido Portinari's paintings reflect the terroir of the Brazilian countryside, with earthy colors and rural themes. This concept is explored in Terroir: Art Through the Eyes of Contemporary Artists [2], which highlights how context shapes artistic identity.

The Cultural Industry and the Threat to Authenticity

Adorno and Horkheimer, in Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947) [3], criticized the cultural industry for transforming art into merchandise, prioritizing replicability over authenticity. Digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok amplify this problem, favoring standardized content that dilutes the connection between the work and its origin. However, strategies like interactivity and the documentation of the creative process can counter this trend, as discussed in The Art of Imperfection (2022) [4].

Strategies to Recreate Aura and Terroir

Images of ceramics with intentional cracks (inspired by kintsugi) and paintings with imperfections, demonstrating how these flaws add value and authenticity to the works

Imperfection as Signature

Deliberate imperfection can be an artistic signature that reinforces the aura of the work, highlighting its humanity and uniqueness. For example, Japanese artist Yuko Takada Keller uses intentional cracks in ceramics, inspired by kintsugi, to symbolize beauty in imperfection. This practice is explored in Wabi-Sabi: Celebrating Imperfections in Art and Life (2023) [5], which highlights how Japanese aesthetics value flaws as part of artistic expression. Another example is Michelangelo, who used imperfections to add depth, as discussed in Michelangelo’s Signature Imperfection (2022) [6]. Imperfection is also celebrated in cultures like the Navajo, where weavers leave a “spiritual line” in their rugs to allow the spirit of the artisan to escape, as described in The Art of Deliberate Imperfection (2017) [7].

Incorporating Geographical Context

Incorporating geographical context into art creates a direct connection with terroir. This approach is discussed in Geography and Art: An Expanding Field (2013) [8], which explores how artists integrate environmental elements into their creations. Another example is artist Euni Karogers, who developed Terroir Painting, using foraged materials like clay and wine in her paintings [9]. These practices reinforce the connection between the work and its context, preserving its authenticity.

Narratives of Origin

Narratives of origin link the work to personal or collective stories, enriching its aura. Photographer Carolle Bénitah sews over old family photos, transforming memories into textile art, as described in The Art of Storytelling: Narratives in Visual Art (2023) [10]. Another example is Diego Rivera, whose murals, such as History of Mexico, narrate the history of Mexico from its Aztec origins to modern conflicts, as discussed in Narrative Painting Across Cultures and Eras (2024) [11]. These narratives tend to stimulate emotional connection with the viewer, preserving the authenticity of the work.

“Site-Specific” Interactivity

“Site-specific” interactivity creates unique experiences that depend on the location and the participation of the audience. The installation The Weather Project (2003) at Tate Modern used light and humidity to recreate an artificial sun, an irreplicable experience outside that space. This concept is addressed in Interactive Art: Engaging Viewers in a Multi-Sensory Experience (2023) [12]. Another example is Listening Post (2001) by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin, which uses human communication data to create an interactive sound installation, as described in Strategies of Interactive Art (2010) [13]. These works reinforce the "aura" by creating unique experiences linked to the place.

Documenting the Process

Documenting the creative process—through sketches, notes, photographs, or videos—preserves the aura by revealing the artist’s journey. Painter Jonny Green, for example, includes QR codes in his paintings that link to video diaries, as discussed in The Power of Process: Documenting the Artistic Journey (2025) [14]. Artist Sophie Calle also uses documentation as part of her practice, as in Suite Vénitienne (1979), where she records the process of following a man from Paris to Venice, as described in Documentation of Artworks (s.d.) [15]. This practice makes the work more accessible and authentic, connecting the viewer to its creation context.

Case Studies

Frida Kahlo and the Mexican Terroir

Frida Kahlo incorporated symbols of Mexican culture, such as Tehuana dresses and vibrant colors, along with her biography marked by physical pain, into her paintings. Her house-studio, La Casa Azul, is now a sanctuary that preserves her aura, as described in Frida Kahlo and the Mexican Terroir (2018) [16]. Her works, such as Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, reflect the Mexican terroir by integrating cultural and personal elements, creating a deep connection with the viewer.

Banksy and the Aura of Anonymity

Banksy, with his secret identity, creates works that gain aura through specific contexts, such as Girl with Balloon, which self-destructed after being auctioned in 2018. This “urban terroir” is analyzed in Banksy’s Urban Terroir (2013) [17], which highlights how anonymity and urban context reinforce the uniqueness of his works.

Contemporary Indigenous Art

"Pata Ewa'n – The Heart of the World," 2016. Artwork by Jaider Esbell

Artists like Jaider Esbell reframe traditional techniques—such as body painting and myths—on contemporary canvases, reconnecting with ancestral terroir [18]. His work is a paradigm example of maintaining ties to ancestral culture in different contexts.

In 2024, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched the art exhibition Amazonia: A BioCreativity Center. The exhibition brought together works by prominent artists from Latin American countries such as Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe (Venezuela), Roberto Huarcaya (Peru), Susana Mejía (Colombia), Gisela Motta & Leandro Lima (Brazil), Uýra (Brazil), and Olinda Silvano (Peru). The exhibition included installations, photography, video art, painting, and sound art, expressing the exuberance of the Amazon through a diverse and inclusive approach, materializing the infinite inspiration found in Amazonian nature [19].

Challenges: When the Market Corrupts Aura

The commoditization of authenticity, such as the sale of certificates or NFTs, can simulate uniqueness but is often industrialized. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are unique digital assets stored on blockchain, often used to represent digital or physical art. They promise authenticity and exclusivity, but the ability to produce them in mass raises questions about their true uniqueness. As discussed in The Authenticity Industries (2023) [20], authenticity in the cultural market is often fabricated to meet market demands, and NFTs exemplify this by transforming digital works into speculative financial assets. Articles like the one from Jacobin (2022) [21] reinforce this view, describing NFTs as an expression of capitalism that turns everything into merchandise, often without intrinsic artistic value.

Final Considerations: Rebuilding Aura in the Age of Unlimited Reproduction

"Spirits of the Caxiris," 2017. Artwork by Jaider Esbell

Revisiting Benjamin: Timeliness and Conceptual Resilience

Walter Benjamin’s essay (1936) [1] remains a critical beacon for understanding the dilemmas of contemporary art. His thesis on the erosion of the aura by technical reproducibility has intensified in the digital age, where the replication of works as pixels or NFTs shifts the experience of "here and now" to the ephemeral realm of the virtual.

Terroir as a Strategy for Cultural Survival

The connection between work and geographical-cultural context has proven to be a political tool against the standardization of the cultural industry. Works like those of indigenous artist Jaider Esbell demonstrate that terroir is not nostalgia but a device of re-existence. By incorporating regional elements or ancestral narratives, artists transform the local into the universal, challenging the uprooting logic of digital platforms.

For an Ecology of Authenticity

21st-century art requires a dialectical balance between innovation and rooting:

• Technology as a mediator, not a dictator: Tools like AR and blockchain should amplify origin narratives, not replace them.

  
  

• Imperfection as ethics: Kintsugi in ceramics and “spiritual lines” in rugs remind us that humanity endures in imperfection.

  
  

• Terroir as a global network: Ancestral ties (such as in indigenous art) or urban memories (as in Banksy) connect in decolonial platforms, forming a geopolitics of authenticity.

  
  

As Walter Benjamin predicted, technical reproduction did not kill the aura — it shifted its battleground. Amid the digital trenches, where artworks become speculative financial assets without intrinsic value, authenticity should not be seen as a fetish but as an act of resistance: a continuous practice of re-enchantment of the world.

Referências

1. Benjamin, W. (1936). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Available at: https://www.marxists.org/portugues/benjamin/1936/mes/obra-arte.htm

2. Maenius, C. (2017). Terroir: Art Through the Eyes of Contemporary Artists. Amazon.

3. Horkheimer, M., & Adorno, T. W. (1947). Dialectic of Enlightenment. Available at: https://www.marxists.org/portugues/adorno/1947/06/dialetica_esclarecimento.pdf

4. Kleon, A. (2022). The art of imperfection. Available at: https://austinkleon.com/2022/12/02/the-art-of-imperfection/

5. O’Neill, T. (2023). Wabi-Sabi: Celebrating Imperfections in Art and Life. Tim O’Neill Studio. Available at: https://timoneillstudios.com/wabi-sabi-celebrating-imperfections-in-art-and-life/

6. Kuhner, J. B. (2022). Michelangelo’s Signature Imperfection. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/in-medias-res/michelangelos-signature-imperfection-c70b7f5eb932

7. Amusing Planet. (2017). The Art of Deliberate Imperfection. Available at: https://www.amusingplanet.com/2017/08/the-art-of-deliberate-imperfection.html

8. Hawkins, H. (2013). Geography and Art: An Expanding Field. Progress in Human Geography. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0309132512442865

9. Karogers, E. (s.d.). Terroir Painting. Available at: https://www.eunikarogers.com/terroir-painting

10. Bechara, K. (2023). The Art of Storytelling: Narratives in Visual Art. Medium. Available at: https://atelierkristel.medium.com/the-art-of-storytelling-narratives-in-visual-art-7533af9fc320

11. Invaluable. (2024). Narrative Painting Across Cultures and Eras. Available at: https://www.invaluable.com/blog/narrative-painting/

12. Eclectic Gallery. (2023). Interactive Art: Engaging Viewers in a Multi-Sensory Experience. Available at: https://eclecticgallery.co.uk/news/212-interactive-art-engaging-viewers-in-a-multi-sensory-experience-unveiling-the-dynamic-world-of-interactive-art-a/

13. Taylor & Francis. (2010). Strategies of Interactive Art. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/jac.v2i0.5525

14. RMCAD. (2025). The Power of Process: Documenting the Artistic Journey. Available at: https://www.rmcad.edu/blog/the-power-of-process-documenting-the-artistic-journey/

15. Documentary Art Practices. (s.d.). Documentation of Artworks. Disponível em: https://documentaryartpractices.wordpress.com/

16. González-Andrieu, C. (2018). Frida Kahlo and the Mexican Terroir. Bridge to Wonder.

17. Cresswell, T. (2013). Banksy’s Urban Terroir. Routledge.

18. Instituto Pipa (2023). Jaider Esbel. Available at: https://www.premiopipa.com/pag/jaider-esbell/

19. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) (2024). IDB Launches Art Exhibition: Amazon: A Center of BioCreativity. Available at: https://www.iadb.org/pt-br/noticias/bid-lanca-exposicao-de-arte-amazonia-um-centro-de-biocriatividade

20. Serazio, M. (2023). The Authenticity Industries: Keeping It Real in Media, Culture, and Politics. Stanford University Press

21. Jacobin (2022). NFTs Are, Quite Simply, Bullshit. Available at: https://jacobin.com/2022/01/nfts-fallon-paris-hilton-bored-ape-digital-imagery-commodification