Chiara Boeri and Kiki Picasso, who were at the heart of the the Quantel Paintbox’s early history and whose pioneering efforts shaped its legacy, will be exhibiting at The Digital Art Mile in Basel next week.
Artist Spotlight: Chiara Boeri
Chiara Boeri, an Italian digital art pioneer based in Melzo, Italy, has been a transformative force in contemporary mixed-media art since the 1990s. Boeri’s global perspective was shaped by a rich academic background spanning Milan, Naples, and Ferrara, and residencies in the United States, France, and England. During her time at Stanford University, she sparked a lifelong exploration of computer-generated imagery, which she seamlessly blends with her passion for calligraphy, literature, and performance. As she states, “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary,” a philosophy reflected in her works that weave words, colours, and shapes into evocative visual narratives.
In 1983, France got its first Paintbox when Chiara Boeri, Cesare Massarenti, Guy Seligmann, and Guy Saguez founded Computer Video Film (CVF). Their vision? Not just commercial work, but a true artistic revolution in digital painting.
Artist Spotlight: Kiki Picasso
Kiki Picasso, the pseudonym of French artist Christian Chapiron, is a provocative figure whose work spans painting, illustration, and multimedia, rooted in the rebellious spirit of the 1970s Parisian counterculture. As a founding member of the avant-garde collective Bazooka, Picasso gained notoriety for his raw, satirical graphics that challenged societal norms and infiltrated mainstream media, including the radical newspaper Libération. His bold, expressive style, marked by vibrant colors and subversive imagery, blends punk aesthetics with pop-art sensibilities, making him a trailblazer in the fusion of art and activism.
Picasso’s diverse practice extends beyond traditional media; he has collaborated with musicians, created album covers, and ventured into wearable art, notably through his iconic 1985 Swatch Art Special, one of the earliest artist-designed timepieces for the brand.
In 1985, France’s Ministère de la Culture commissioned a film where Kiki Picasso was among six artists who would experiment with the Quantel Paintbox and ultimately help shape the future of digital art.
Check out our article "Pixel Pioneers", written by Gretchen Andrew, who will also be exhibiting in the Paintbox World Tour, for a deeper dive on this dawn of digital art and its ambitious resurrection by ArtMeta, Tezos and Rhizome.
Other exhibiting artists include;
Adrian Wilson
April Greiman
Arthur Breitman
Bryan Brinkman
Chiara Boeri
Coldie
Dirk Koy
Gretchen Andrew
Grant Yun
Hackatao
Justin Aversano
Kaysha
Kiki Picasso
Kim Mannes Abbott
Lea Lublin
Louis Paul Caron
Micha Riss
Omgidrawedit
Richard Bernstein
Sabato Visconti
Simon Denny
Vanessa Rosa
