Yves Bernard initiated the project for an arts center in Brussels dedicated to the artistic uses of new technologies at the end of 1998. In 1999, he invented the name (iMAL (interactive Media Art Lab), laid the foundation of the program and launched a first project (CONTinENT) within the framework of Brussels 2000 and Helsinki 2000, European Capitals of Culture. In May 2000, the non-profit organization was legally created and he will assume its management and artistic direction until mid-2021.

He developed the center's funding through a resolutely bi-community (French-speaking and Flemish) and European approaches. He was the (co-)curator and organizer of numerous exhibitions, conferences, workshops and symposiums inviting a multitude of artists and personalities from the media and digital arts to Brussels. Over more than 20 years at the direction of iMAL, he built an international reputation for the organization, while supporting the emergence of a scene of local artists. In 2012, he created Belgium's first artistic fablab, and in 2016 he initiated the Feder project (Europe/Region funding) for the expansion and renovation of the center's premises in Molenbeek accompanied by a social inclusion program based on digital creativity. In early 2021, he resigned from iMAL.

The archives of his program of activities can be found at legacy.imal.org.