Long before it became a visual trend, elevation lived in myth and ritual, in Renaissance visions of flight and in the timeless dream of becoming lighter than the world. Not only in the literal leap, the jump shot, the vault, the suspended breath of an athlete mid-air, rather in the figurative ascent, the desire to elevate a discipline beyond performance, to make it culture, image, language.

Mathieu Forget stands precisely at that intersection, where elevation is both gesture and philosophy. In his work, the jump—a classic move in the dance vocabulary, transforms into a creative method. His body initiates the lift, but the photograph completes it: freezing a fraction of time into a lasting symbol, turning movement into a statement. What began as an athletic impulse becomes a form of authorship, a way to insist that sport is not only about results, but also about presence, beauty, storytelling—about the emotional architecture of what it means to move.

‘The Flying Man’ elevation keeps evolving—expanding into contexts, territories, and histories. Architecture becomes a canvas. Paris, New York, the world: each location is not simply a backdrop, but a collaborator, a surface on which movement can rewrite the meaning of place. And as Forget’s practice shifts from placing himself in the frame to inviting athletes into his language, elevation becomes communal—a shared choreography where sport meets art without translation.

The Athlete

“I think it all started with my dad. He was a professional tennis player, and I traveled with him and my mom all around the world. I grew up inside tennis, surrounded by athletes and people who were deeply connected to sports. From a young age, I was always interested in movement and performance.

As a teenager, I also developed a huge passion for dance and music. When I discovered hip-hop through MTV at 15 or 16, it opened a completely new world for me. I loved the visual side of performing, but also the physical challenge behind it. Looking back, I think one of the reasons I work in visual arts today is because I grew up in the era of music videos. Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and so many artists from my generation made me dream of going to the U.S., because that’s where everything was happening. MTV was my Bible. I wanted to live on that screen.

My parents told me that if I was good at sports, I could get a scholarship. At the time, I was playing tennis seriously, and I eventually received one that allowed me to study in the U.S. There, I started training like a professional athlete, three to four hours a day. I improved a lot, to the point where I had to ask myself: do I go professional in tennis, or do I fully commit to dance and the arts?. America has a system where everything feels possible. You can do dancing, acting, photography, classical music, and tennis, and somehow make it work. That environment really helped me understand who I wanted to become. With tennis, it was about winning matches. With dancing, it was about going higher, doing cooler moves, being tested on TV shows and finally expressing myself . There were many layers behind my motivation.”

The Photographer

“Photography started when I moved to the U.S. At some point, I wanted financial independence. When I had the opportunity to move to New York and get a real job that combined sport and creativity, it felt right. I became the creative director of a ping-pong social club in New York. It sounds strange, but that was my job. I was learning business development, social media, budgeting, and production. I was still dancing, still hoping to land music videos and creative projects. As an artist, it’s always difficult to make a living, especially in the beginning. You’re constantly looking for the next gig, asking friends about opportunities, hoping someone will pay you to do what you love and you start with many projects that aren’t paid at all.

Around that time, Facebook and Instagram were just starting to become business tools. I realized I needed to understand that world. I didn’t want to wait for someone to call me. I wanted to put my name out there. Back then, the only way to grow on Instagram was by posting strong photos often so I started posting daily.

New York was the Mecca of street photography and I used social media to connect and collaborate. I sent hundreds of messages. Some people said no, some said yes and many became friends. Slowly, I built a community. Through them, I really learned photography, ISO, shutter speed, f-stop, lighting, angles. Every free moment I had, I was outside shooting. I discovered the city, made new friends, and created new opportunities. 

In my opinion, for an image to last, it needs history behind it. I don’t think my photos are better than others. Many photographers are technically better than me. But my images are authentic. There’s real storytelling in them and countless hours of crafting my skill, and no one can take that away from me. Over time, I added new skills: photography and filmmaking. But in the end, I’m still dancing. I’m still doing sports. Instead of choosing between being a dancer or a photographer, I decided to blend everything together. That became my signature. I believe that life should be an accumulation of what you love and the skills you build.”

The Flying Man

“After five years of working, shooting and collaborating in different cities, I had a few thousand followers. Small brand deals started coming in, and I needed to keep feeding my Instagram. The more energy I was putting in, the more results I was getting and that motivated me. So I bought a camera. I bought a tripod. I started shooting myself alone and sharing the behind-the-scenes process.

Then one day, a TikTok video reached 15 million views. Out of all the ideas I had tried, one finally worked. And in the digital space, when something works, you focus on it. I would set up my camera, jump in front of it, show the process, and take the photo. That’s how the ‘Flying Man’ concept started. Over time, I developed this signature into higher-end visuals: better cameras, bigger productions and more ambitious ideas.. Today, I have my own media and production company that follows me on my projects, whether they’re personal or for brands.”

The Artist

“I didn’t invent anything. Throughout history, humans have always been fascinated by levitation. In Renaissance art, people were already drawing flying figures. Icarus dreamed of flying. It’s a timeless idea. Artists like Philippe Halsman, Yves Klein, and Salvador Dalí explored how to freeze movement and make it look surreal and magical.

My work is really about the relationship between limitation and freedom. How the body can become a way to express resilience and ambition. Through these moments of suspension and elevation, I try to turn effort, gravity, and constraint into symbols of personal growth. In the end, I want people to see limitations not as something that holds us back, but as the starting point for becoming more than we thought we could be.

In dance, from breakdancing to ballet, jumping has always been part of the vocabulary. When you freeze a jump in time, it creates the illusion of flight, of escaping gravity for just a moment. That idea has always fascinated me, and I’ve tried to explore it in my own way, through my own language and sensibility.

I also gained visibility by understanding early on how the digital space worked. I was one of the first to really share the full process. Showing the before, during, and after made the work more honest and more human. It allowed people to connect not just with the result, but with the effort behind it. I think that’s what eventually led to millions of views. I didn’t invent it. I just helped popularize it.”

The Elevation

“As a dancer, you’re an athlete, so movement has always been central to my life. In New York, I collaborated with extreme sports athletes, artists, painters and more. When I moved back to Paris 6 years ago, my work gained more media attention, which gave me new visibility.

The Paris Olympics team then reached out to me. It was an honor. The Games were coming back to our city, and they wanted to blend art and sport. Their storytelling was unique. Everything aligned. I started by visiting Olympic locations alone, Roland-Garros, golf courses, and interpreting sports through my body. Then I began meeting athletes and improvising photos with them. That gave me a new idea: instead of always being the subject, why not bring athletes into my world and make them dance with me? This became a new series. Brands, museums, and institutions became interested.

Eventually, I realized I didn’t always need to be in the photo. Just seeing athletes in unique locations, strong and focused, was powerful. That’s the evolution of my work. I tested everything with my own body. Now I’m open to showcasing others through the style I’ve developed.” 

The Architecture

“When I started in New York, I couldn’t access many indoor locations, so I worked in the streets. And in New York, you’re surrounded by buildings. I became fascinated by lines, lights, and shadows.

I learned how to understand architecture and fit into it. It’s always a balance between simplicity and complexity. Growing up around the world, I developed a passion for geometry and clean lines. I started using buildings as my studio and architecture as my canvas. Within those spaces, I look for empty areas where I can tell another story through movement. Later, I was able to work inside buildings and get paid to shoot there.

I’ve always loved beautiful places, museums, and craftsmanship. During the Olympics in Paris, the goal was to highlight architecture and sport together. There’s nothing better than combining both.”

Keeping It Higher

“At first, people thought my work was Photoshop. For two years, I didn’t show how I did it. I believed the magic was in the mystery. But when I finally started sharing the process, my work went viral. I realized there was no reason to hide it. Showing it could inspire others.

Anyone can try to do what I do. Some people might even do it better. But no one will do it exactly the same way. That uniqueness is something AI can’t replicate. I love AI and use it for brainstorming, research, and presentations. But if you want to truly connect with people, you need the human element.”

Future Jumps

“I’m celebrating my 10th year anniversary this year with the release of a new book in association with a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Photography in Nice. The book will be called ‘Levitation’ and will be released on my website and different stores on June 2026. It’s more than a book because it is combined with an augmented reality feature which will allow the viewer to discover videos behind the photos. 

My dream now is to create a project around the four elements. I’ve been to Antarctica, and now I’d love to explore deserts in Namibia, canyons in the U.S., or places in Japan. Extreme locations inspire me. Bringing dance and movement to untouched places is my dream.

I also want to keep exploring the world of sports especially with the LA 2028 Games coming up. The world is huge. The goal is to explore and create  as much of it as possible.”