Key Takeaways
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- FILE 2026, titled Intercreativity, runs from August 20 to October 11 at the FIESP Cultural Center and offers free admission to explore how technology has become an active partner in human creativity.
- The festival will host a major conference led by Gregory and Virginia Chaitin to discuss whether artificial intelligence can replicate aspects of knowledge, discovery, and imagination that transcend algorithmic logic.
- Over 160 works from 48 countries will showcase immersive installations like AI-driven perfumery and virtual city building, encouraging visitors to reflect on the evolving relationship between humans, machines, and culture.
- Attendees can join three days of free workshops in August focusing on hands-on sessions with experts in creative coding, live coding, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence tools.
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The International Electronic Language Festival (FILE) has announced its 26th edition, running from August 20 to October 11, 2026, at the FIESP Cultural Center. This year’s exhibition, titled “Intercreativity,” will explore the evolving relationship between humans, technology, and art, particularly in the age of generative artificial intelligence. Admission to the exhibition is free. FILE, established in 2000, has consistently researched digital art and culture. The 26th edition will feature approximately 160 works from artists in 48 countries, examining how technology has moved beyond being a mere tool to become an active participant in creative processes. These artworks are selected through the festival’s annual research and curation process, which involves ongoing dialogue with artists, institutions, and research centers globally.
The festival will open with a conference, “Human Creativity Versus Artificial Intelligence,” in Brazil. This session will be led by mathematician Gregory Chaitin, a leading expert in algorithmic information theory, and epistemologist Virginia Chaitin, a specialist in the philosophy of science. They will discuss the potential of artificial intelligence to replicate human creativity and explore aspects of knowledge, discovery, and imagination that may lie beyond algorithmic capabilities. Chaitin’s work, particularly on incomputability theory and algorithmic complexity, informs the discussion on the roles of intuition, creativity, and surprise in scientific knowledge. The “Intercreativity” exhibition aims to foster a deeper understanding of creativity as a collaborative process. According to the curatorial team—Ricardo Barreto, Paula Perissinotto, Clarissa Vidotto, and Victor Sardenberg—the exhibition does not seek definitive answers but encourages recognition of the open, undetermined, and living aspects within complex systems.
The FIESP Cultural Center and SESISP are collaborating on FILE 2026, underscoring their commitment to cultural access, knowledge, and innovation. Tais Lara, Director of the FIESP Cultural Center, noted that the festival expands discussions on contemporary transformations and highlights technology’s role in the creative economy. The exhibition will include digital works and AI-driven installations, virtual and augmented reality experiences, games, animations, music, film, live coding workshops, and urban art. Notable artworks featured include: Algorithmic Perfumery by Frederik Duerinck: This work invites visitors to share memories and emotions, which an AI then interprets to suggest a unique olfactory composition, illustrating intercreativity between human and machine. Ancestors by Hanna Haaslahti: An AI generates digital descendants for visitors, creating a constantly growing collective genealogy tree that explores ancestry, memory, and descent. Transmissions Into The Void by Dennis Peter: This immersive installation uses light and sound to visualize data degradation over time, prompting reflection on the vulnerability of information. A Walled City by Weidi Zhang and Rodger Luo: Visitors submit personal images that are reinterpreted by an AI system to construct a growing virtual city, weaving individual memories into a collective landscape.
Inevitably Blue by Sophia Bulgakova: Visitors experience a sensory journey through light and sound, challenging their perception of space, balance, and direction. Gravitational VR by Amir Admoni and Fabito Rychter: This virtual reality work immerses audiences in an infinite universe without traditional spatial references, using gravity as a metaphor for existence and change. An outdoor installation, Echovision by Jiabao Li and Botao Amber Hu, will be presented at Centro Cultural Fiesp from August 19 to August 30, 2026. This piece explores echolocation through mixed reality, allowing participants to experience perception from the perspective of other species and fostering reflection on technology, nature, and empathy. By enabling visitors to experience the world through another species’ intelligence, Echovision promotes a shift in perspective, bridging science, art, and ecological awareness through embodied experiences.
FILE, established in 2000, is one of the longest-running and most significant festivals dedicated to art and technology worldwide. With over 26 years of uninterrupted programming, it has become an international platform for the research, production, dissemination, and preservation of digital culture, connecting artists, researchers, scientists, universities, and cultural institutions from numerous countries. Long before social media, smartphones, or widespread AI, FILE has explored how new technologies transform art and daily life. The festival acts as a permanent hub for examining the cultural implications of emerging technologies, hosting exhibitions, workshops, debates, publications, and educational programs that unite art, innovation, and critical thought, in partnership with SESISP. SESISP, in turn, offers a wide array of free cultural activities, including music, performing arts, visual works, video content, and literature, reaching millions across various venues and programs. By 2026, SESISP plans to inaugurate three additional theaters and three cultural centers.
The FIESP Cultural Center, housed in the Luis Eulalio de Bueno Vidigal Filho Building, serves as a significant landmark and cultural hub on Avenida Paulista. It facilitates diverse activities, offering free access to its spaces and utilizing alternative areas like the foyer at SESISP Theater for artistic and cultural events. As a cultural institution sponsored by local industry and operated by SESISP, the FIESP Cultural Center is a symbol of quality, aiming to develop new audiences through free access and support Brazil’s creative economy. FILE Workshops 2026 will offer three days of free sessions from August 20 to 22 for artists, students, researchers, designers, programmers, and curious individuals. The program connects Brazilian and international experts with hands-on sessions on Artificial Intelligence, Creative Coding, Augmented Reality, Live Coding, AI-driven audiovisual works, electronic circuits, digital memory, and open knowledge. Participants will gain new tools, experiment with creative processes, work on personal projects, and contemplate the cultural impact of emerging technologies. FILE Workshops 2026: Dates: August 20, 21, and 22 Location: Centro Cultural Fiesp – Mezanino Activities: Free upon registration. FILE São Paulo 2026 – A Intercriatividade: Attendance: August 20 to October 11, 2026
Free Art Exhibition at Centro Cultural Fiesp on Paulista Avenue Open Daily with Free Entry and Group Visits Available via Email Details Located Opposite Trianon MASP Metro Station Admission Hours Tuesday Through Sunday Ten Am Eight Pm Digital Gallery Seven Sixam Further Information sesisp org br eventos file org br
Location: Centro Cultural Fiesp – Art Gallery and Digital Art Gallery, Av. Paulista, 1.313 (Opposite Trianon-MASP Metro Station) Hours of Operation: Art Gallery: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm. Digital Art Gallery: Daily, 7 am to 6 am. Admission: Free, no reservation required for the exhibition. Group Visits: Email ccfagendamentossesisp.org.br. Further Information: Available at sesisp.org.br/eventos and file.org.br.
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