pipilotti rist

In a conversation between curator Richard Julin and artist Pipilotti Rist in the book Pipilotti Rist / Congratulations, Rist talks about the differences between work that is made one of a kind and work that is mass produced. (p. 25)

Pipilotti: Up till now most of my works were so large that they exceeded the means of private space. I am interested in spaces where people can circulate and spend time together, without them actually owning the work. My works were not produced on a large scale for strategic reasons, nor did my gallery ever force me to make smaller ones which would be easier to sell. But of course there's a big discrepancy between original and mass produced work, and as yet I've not come up with a solution to this. I'm interested in the democratic aspect of art and yet I live off it's fetishization. It's a contradiction I've not resolved and something that makes me a bit sad.

What are the merits for both types of work. Like Pipilotti, I have a hard time deciding what working method is more righteous. On one hand, the democratic nature of a mass produced artwork gives the potential to reach a larger audience; but on the other, a one of a kind, original work is more direct. Should we continue to make precious works, keeping our message more pure, but for a smaller, elite audience? Or should we adopt the methods of large mass product producing corporations in order to reach more people?