A world of possibilities opens up when art, technology and imagination come together without borders. Here is an opportunity to explore communs.commons: Digital Arts, Shared Ecosystems, Plural Perspectives, an event at the Alliance Française of Madras, exploring creativity and artistic expressions in the digital era.
The event offers two distinct experiences at Espace 24, bringing participants together in a playful encounter between technology and heritage.
The first, Let’s Draw – One World, One Canvas, an art installation, where audiences are invited to draw on walls in public spaces. People coming together to contribute to this evolving artwork is a collaborative effort to bring art alive. It has so far been presented in over 10 countries and 80 exhibitions. In Chennai, the art installation will invite participants to contribute their creativity within the AF campus through their phones.
The second experience, Painting Mirror – See Yourself Through Art, invites participants to see their portraits reimagined as artistic caricatures inspired by indigenous Indian folk art forms such as Gond, Warli, Madhubani and Kalamkari, using generative AI.
The exhibition aims to bring participants together in a playful encounter between technology and heritage.
| Photo Credit:
Maxime Touroute
The exhibition is curated by Maxime Touroute, a 32-year-old digital artist. “Let’s Draw reveal collective intelligence and connections between people, through the universal language of drawings,” says Maxime. The concept reveals collective intelligence and connections between people, through the universal language of drawings.
Speaking about Painting Mirror, in which he uses generative AI to reinterpret individual photographs through traditional Indian art forms such as Gond, Madhubani, Warli and Kalamkari, Maxime says, “With Painting Mirror, I see it as a way to make cultural heritage more accessible to audiences. When people see their own portrait in an artistic style that they may have previously encountered only in a museum, they begin to feel a sense of ownership. This can spark curiosity about the tradition and the artists who keep it alive,” he says.
Maxime says that the project also allows artworks to travel digitally, without physically moving them, which can often be challenging. “It presents an opportunity to create new forms of collaborations with contemporary artists to transform their style and also between museum collections around the world, sparkling debates and discussions about AI,” he says.
The concept of Painting Mirror is seen as a way to make cultural heritage more accessible to audiences.
| Photo Credit:
Maxime Touroute
Each of Maxime’s projects is powered by creative software he develops in-house. His dedication to making digital creation more accessible drives him to share his tools and expertise with a broad community of actors, from artists to cultural institutions. By breaking down technical barriers, he engages in cross-disciplinary collaborations with dancers, theater makers, musicians, illustrators, and more. Over the years, this approach has led him to the creation of hybrid artistic forms and a creative software company.
Maxime Touroute
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Through his art, tools, and philosophy of sharing, Maxime uses technology to foster human connections, bringing artists, audiences, and simply, people closer. The curator had presented his works in public spaces and buildings, he will present his digital art work in Chennai in an exhibition format, in a gallery set up.
@Alliance Francaise of Madras, Nungambakkam. November 12 to 30, 10am to 6pm. Entry is free and open to all.
Published – November 12, 2026 10:02 am IST
