The work of art in a society of risk

The problem this article addresses is the question of the status of a work of art in modern society. The authors consider the role of art in society and the ethical problems associated with the broadcast of a work of art through the media. Particular emphasis is paid to the massification of art, during which the border between elite and mass culture becomes much less obvious. The authors focus on the role of the media and media-education in order to describe how contemporary art functions in a society of risk, in which negative interpretations may become especially damaging. The main methodology employed is functional analysis. Dialectics, the principle of historicism and comparative analysis are also applied.