Bandits-Mages

ℹ️ Festival discontinued. The Bandits-Mages Meetings are no longer held under this name. The Bandits-Mages association merged in 2019 with Emmetrop to create the Antre Peaux structure (Bourges), which continues to operate in the field of media and digital arts. The last publicly documented edition of the Meetings was in November 2018 (November 12 to December 2, 2018). This page is kept for archival purposes.

A pioneer in digital arts (1991-2018)

Created in 1991, Bandits-Mages was one of the oldest French festivals dedicated to digital and media arts. Born from the initiative of students and teachers from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Art de Bourges, the festival evolved with technologies while maintaining a pioneering and experimental spirit. It established itself as a place for creation, dissemination, and reflection around new artistic forms using digital media — video art, experimental cinema, installations, and performances.

The Annual Meetings

From 2013, following the festival, Bandits-Mages organized annual Meetings that took place in November. These events presented video works, digital installations, performances, screenings, and multimedia creations by international artists, accompanied by workshops, conferences, and round tables. The Meetings brought together students from French and European art schools, artists, filmmakers, teachers, distributors, producers, and exhibition curators.

Residencies and production

Beyond the festival, Bandits-Mages developed an artist residency program throughout the year and supported the creation of video works, films, and media creations. Located since 2000 at the Friche l'Antre-Peaux in Bourges, the association was a major player in the development of digital arts in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

The 2019 merger and aftermath

In 2019, the Bandits-Mages association merged with Emmetrop to form Antre Peaux. Bandits-Mages is now among the historical associations of this structure and no longer organizes an annual edition under its own name. The heritage and resources of Bandits-Mages (catalogue, archives of the Meetings) remain accessible via Antre Peaux.