Presence is related to the concept of existence. Nothing is deemed to exist or have existed which is not, has not been or will not be present. Presence is a concept which involves development of the concept of existence: something is existing here and now, present – or somewhere or sometime else (absence, non-presence). Something can exist absent to us….
Representation presupposes absence: something which is absent is made present through something else. Representation thus presupposes a metaphysical conceptuality of absent existence. For Plato, our mundane perception is the perception of representations of absent realities; you had to think your way out of the cave to presence.
Representation is an important concept for art and politics; we see this especially in religion. It is easy to see that God has been represented by images and words and also that God is the source of all power. When artists represent then art will be interested in representing that which is absent, perhaps most acutlely absent; if politicians represent, they will represent that which is powerful, most powerful.
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