Miguel Chevalier’s work articulates around categories among which the "Autres natures" series initiated when he came back from Kyoto in 1994. It gathers digital representations of landscapes, plants and other flowers that the book published by Monogragik and dedicated to the artist presents. His last creations, called "Fractals Flowers", recently took roots at the Tarasiève gallery and in front of the Mairie du 4ème in Paris as well as in Enghien-Les-Bains.

Seeds
I remember the plant exhibited by Numeriscausa at the Biche de Bere space during the Natural / Digital exhibition in 2005.  Did it come from seed n°1, 11 or 16? It doesn’t matter! It was slowly oscillating, within the plasma screen vertically reversed for the occasion, before I came in contact with it. Its saturated colours going from red to orange were enough to betray its artificial origin. The most difficult thing was for me to extract from it as it so perfectly reacted to my moves with its oscillatory movements.

Sub-Natures
Miguel Chevalier multiplies algorithmic seeds by selecting them just like a painter chooses its pigments. He then obtains virtual gardens that sometimes become outrageous. Video plants that are shown at the Daejon museum in Korea, are more than 8 meter high. This way, they appear to us as components of a supernatural gigantic vegetable coat adjusted to our every moves. At Auvers-sur-Oise, the artist goes further and invests the ground of a luxuriant vegetation that spreads on our path.

RGB Land
It is a completely different show that Miguel Chevalier offers to the Pittsburgh Woodstreet Gallery visitors. There is no trace of vegetation whatsoever within the huge landscape that endlessly unfolds under their eyes. The red, green and blue shades that cover this desert area remind us once again of the artificiality of a nature calculated by machines in its every detail. Because all these water, sand or rock particles, in these infinite territories, are only the results of few computations in which randomness has its place.

Fractal Flowers
After having created so many plants, it seems natural that Miguel Chevalier finally dedicates himself to creating flowers. The "Fractal Flowers" simply come to life, grow and die. But sometimes they take an interest in us with the help of rotary movements recalling the sunflower interest for the sun. Our body losing some of its attraction strength as we get further, they then come back to the programme of an autonomous life going from birth to death. Unless their stamens are still attracted by the living.

Sculpture
Sometimes Miguel Chevalier decides to immortalize some of his flowers “printing” them according to the process called stereolithography. He then obtains fossil looking sculptures. By gathering these moments, the artist allows us to have a better observation of the "Fractal Flowers" to finally realise that the organisation of several 3D primitives in the space is enough to express life in this savant relationship that it entertains with the order as well as with the chaos.

Dominique Moulon
Photos : D.R.

For more information :
Miguel Chevalier : www.miguel-chevalier.com
Monografik Editions : www.monografik-editions.com
Galerie Tarasiève : www.suzanne-tarasieve.com
Galerie Numeriscausa : www.numeriscausa.com

Book:
Miguel Chevalier, Monografik Editions, 2008

Exhibitions :
Personal Exhibition  at the Tarasiève galery until the 10th January 2009.
"Fractal Flowers" Installation on the forecourt of the Mairie du 4e in Paris and on the  et Saint-Joseph Church walls in Enghien-Les-Bains until the 11th January 2009.