Walter Benjamin, in his seminal book The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, wrote, “In even the most perfect reproduction, one thing is lacking: the here and now of the work of art-its unique existence in a particular place.” In 1935, what appeared to Benjamin as a downside of mechanically reproduced artworks has now become the greatest strength of digital art and which underpins the democratic character of the digital media. With the turn of the century, the world has witnessed a thriving interest amongst visual art practitioners in exploring the numerous possibilities of digital mediums. Over the last two decades, the definition of virtual space has been evolving dynamically as technology makes the line thin between the real and the virtual world.

Even though accused of lacking the tactile quality and materiality of artworks, digital art continues to inspire the imaginations of the creative minds of the age or educational merits. What quotients of digital art do then appear compelling to the artists? How, in the pandemic era, are digital artists redefining the alternative to the experience in a physical space? On this line of thought, Dhi Artspace presents ‘Ctrl + N’, an online exhibition of digital art that will bring together a myriad of ideas and concerns on the virtual platform.