PIXELS, an interactive exhibition blending digital art and AI at the Grand Palais Immersif

Ready to uncover the mysteries of AI? Until spring 2025, the Grand Palais Immersif invites you to dive into the fascinating digital universe of Miguel Chevalier with an exhibition entirely devoted to the French artist. A true sensory journey between the real and the virtual through interactive works, PIXELS promises to captivate both young and old.

Miguel Chevalier, a cornerstone of digital art

In the realm of digital art, Miguel Chevalier is a big name. A French artist born in Mexico in 1959, he has been a pioneer in his field since the 80s, having exhibited around the world: at the King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, in the former Sacred Heart Church in Casablanca, on the façade of the Palacio Bella Artes, and more.

.
Portrait of Miguel Chevalier © Photo Pascal Maillard

Since the beginning, Miguel Chevalier has been exploring the boundaries between art and technology. After studying at the Fine Arts and Decorative Arts schools in Paris in the late 70s, he wanted to offer a new pictorial vision in the field of painting: « all the avant-gardes had already pushed painting so far, I thought it was time to take a step aside and see how to open new horizons in the field of art » he shares with us. At that time, the first computers began to appear on the market, which encouraged Miguel to explore the creative potentials of new technologies.

In the 80s, he worked on installations where the digital mingles with movement, color, and optical effects inspired by kinetic art, influenced by artists like Julio Le Parc and Carlos Cruz-Diez. These early steps led him towards experimental works where pixels, the fundamental elements of digital imagery, became creative motifs in their own right.

Origin of the World © Miguel Chevalier © Photo Thomas Granovsky

Over the decades, the artist has developed an increasingly immersive vision. In 1996, he presented his first interactive works where visitors could change the image in real-time, a groundbreaking concept for that time. With works like Sur-Natures, where interactive digital gardens transform according to audience interaction, Miguel paves the way for generative and evolving installations. His monumental mapping creations, like the one made in 2013 on the facade of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico, reach an ever-wider audience.

Artificial intelligence, the artist's new muse

Recently, Miguel Chevalier has integrated artificial intelligence into his artistic process, pushing the boundaries of interaction and digital creativity even further. With Meta-Nature IA, a generative virtual reality work, he uses algorithms to create abstract plant forms that sit between the organic and the synthetic. This shift marks a major evolution in his work, allowing him to recreate forms with unprecedented visual richness, while also questioning our relationship with technology and nature.

CyberEspace/Data Landscapes © Miguel Chevalier

Artificial intelligence is taking a prominent role in the new exhibition at the Grand Palais Immersif. With works like Artificial Imaginaries – a unique installation exploring themes of surveillance and facial recognition through animated images generated by AI – Miguel Chevalier showcases both the artistic potential and the limits of artificial intelligence.

Dive into a sensory and futuristic universe

With the exhibition PIXELS, Miguel Chevalier offers a complete immersion into his universe through two key themes: line and pixel, symbols of networks.invisibles. In collaboration with architect Sylvie Jodar and composer Thomas Roussel, who creates the musical ambiance, it offers a poetic and, above all, interactive journey where each work transforms into a sensory playground, exploring the connections between the real and the virtual.

Eye of the Machine© Miguel Chevalier © Photo Thomas Granovsky