An Exploration of Creativity in an Era Dominated by Automation, AI, and Digital Duplication
“The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction is to be received in different senses than, by example of the pictorial artists of the past. By its very nature it must be an art of the second degree, a rendering of the artistic process itself.”
—Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Kenny Schachter’s latest exhibition, Art in the Age of Robotic Reproduction, is a modern reflection on a timeless concern—how the ever-advancing technology and automation affect our understanding of creativity, authorship, and originality. As the boundaries between art and apparatus continue to blur, Schachter delves into this conundrum, producing works that engage, provoke, and challenge the notion of what it means to create in the age of robots, AI, and digital duplication. **A Critique of Automation**
The exhibition centers on Schachter’s analysis of the impact of technology on the art world. Drawing from Benjamin’s seminal essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Schachter questions the implications of art being reproduced infinitely, leading to a loss of its unique aura. In today’s digital age, this concept has become even more pressing. The proliferation of AI-generated content, 3D printing, and digital tools has transformed the conversation around authorship, originality, and the value of human creativity. Schachter’s response to this shift in creative labor is multifaceted. Rather than lamenting the loss of artistic control, he engages with the tools and technologies that have become integral to his practice. This approach is evident in his use of 3D printing and digital workflows, which he combines with traditional techniques to create hybrid digital-physical forms. **Robo Cubes: Tradition Meets Technology**
One of the show’s centerpieces is Schachter’s series of Robo Cubes, which merge mid-century aesthetics with contemporary process. By starting with digital files and translating them through traditional mold-making and casting techniques, Schachter highlights the tension between tradition and technology. The Robo Cubes resist the uniform finishes of 3D printing, instead embracing materiality and imperfection. This approach not only speaks to the importance of human intervention in the creative process but also challenges the notion of what it means to create with machines. Schachter’s Robo Cubes become artifacts that embody the duality of tradition and tech, reminding us that making, even with machines, can still be deeply human when choice, error, and material intervention are involved. **Painting with a Keyboard: The Blurred Lines of Creation**
Schachter’s paintings also blur the lines between digital creation and tactile craftsmanship. Developed using a computer keyboard as his initial interface, these works are a kind of hybrid translation. While their compositions originate digitally, they are ultimately rendered into high-quality oil paintings in collaboration with Matr Labs. The results are paintings that feel both familiar and strange, with brushwork mimicking tradition but content and process pushing viewers to question where creation begins and ends. Schachter’s use of a keyboard as his initial interface highlights the challenge it poses to the traditional hierarchy of mediums. Oil painting, once regarded as a symbol of technical mastery, becomes a conduit for digitally spawned ideas. **A Show for Our Artificially Intelligent Era**
Art in the Age of Robotic Reproduction is not just a showcase of Schachter’s latest work; it’s a reflection on the art world’s place in the age of automation, AI, and digital duplication. The exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the value of human creativity and the role of machines in the creative process. Through essays, lectures, and social media dialogue, Schachter has long stirred up debates around the future of creative labor. Art in the Age of Robotic Reproduction is another step in that evolving discourse, grounded not in theory alone but in objects that complicate and challenge the very systems they arise from. **Highlights of the Exhibition**
• **Robo Cubes:** Hybrid digital-physical sculptures that merge mid-century aesthetics with contemporary process
• **Paintings:** Oil paintings developed using a computer keyboard as the initial interface
• **3D Printing:** Used in conjunction with traditional techniques to create hybrid digital-physical forms
• **Digital Workflows:** Combine traditional techniques with digital tools to create new forms of art
**A Show Worth Seeing**
For anyone curious about the future of art in an era dominated by automation, AI, and digital duplication, Art in the Age of Robotic Reproduction is a must-see exhibition. It not only presents a provocative and thought-provoking commentary on the art world but also invites viewers to engage with the very systems it arises from. Whether you’re a digital art skeptic or a tech-obsessed creative, this show will leave you with something to unpack—and maybe a new understanding of what art looks like when it lives between hands and hardware. Art in the Age of Robotic Reproduction is a testament to Schachter’s unique perspective on the intersection of art, technology, and critique, and it’s an exhibition that will continue to resonate long after the show has closed.