Best wishes to all Agora Gallery artists.

It is true that digital photography in the hands of the unscrupulous could blur the lines between ‘original’ and ‘reproduction’, however, most reputable digital artists nominate a limited edition number and put their reputation on the line if they exceed their stated run. I sign, date, number and authenticate my prints as originals by including a certificate of authenticity signed by me to establish a provenance. Digital photography is a relatively new artistic endeavour, but is not very different to analogue photography where original prints by the artist have a greater value than commercial reproductions because they can be traced back to its creator, through a signature or date. Similarly, etchings, aquatints and woodcuts accrue in value if they can be traced back to the artist who concieved them, through original signatures and edition run numbers.

Is it not the vision of the artist and the concept behind the work, teased out through technical knowledge, and an ideosyncratic ‘eye’, which gives an image value? A numbered and signed digital print which can be directly connected to its conciever should be valued in the same way as a Campbells’ Soup Tin with Warhol’s mark or a Baldessari can of ‘merda’ with a provenance. Computer reproductions of digital photographs lack that provenance and are inferior visually because they lack the richness and pixel density of a high resolution original print.