Invader

Invader: Artist’s Biography

Born in Paris in 1969, the street artist Invader is known for his mosaic works that, recalling the characters of the well-known videogame Space Invaders, have invaded cities all over the world.

He studied in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and he works incognito, largely at night and often masked. He is the cousin of the street artist Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) and he was included in the 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy and starring Mr. Brainwash alongside urban artists such as Shepard Fairey (Obey) and Banksy himself.

Invader, artist with an unmistakable style, began his career in the world of street art in the 1990s with the first mosaic installed in Paris in 1998. In the following years he extended the range of his work and "invaded" 31 other French cities before starting to work outside of France, such as in New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Today there are more than 60 cities in which his works are visible and in Italy we can admire the invasions of Rome and Ravenna.

Invader has held solo exhibitions in art galleries in Paris, Osaka, Melbourne, Los Angeles, New York, London and Rome. He has exhibited at the 6th Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale (2001), the Borusan Center for Culture and Arts in Istanbul (2003), the MOCA in Los Angeles (2011) and the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin (2017).

Space Invader: Street Art vs Videogames

Described by the artist as "the most addictive game I have ever played", the arcade game Space Invaders was released in 1978 in Japan and quickly spread around the world, becoming the symbol of an entire generation. The street artist Invader chose it as icon of his generation and as example of the rise of videogames and digital technologies in the 1980s.

With the first intervention, the street artist installs a mosaic reproduction of the iconic pixellated alien, imitating with small ceramic tiles the 8-bit graphics of Space Invaders. Thus begins his "invasion": his work is in fact conceived as an attack by the iconic invaders that are located in more or less visible locations and it is as if they challenge the visitor to be found.

The street artist has also produced catalogues and maps of his invasions, in order to provide a guide for those who want to find all his invaders and in a similar way also his website offers a "world invasion map" with all the cities affected by the street artist. 

With Space Invader, street artist among the most requested, the aliens of the Japanese videogame have invaded cities all over world, altering the urban environment and cultural heritage with icons from the collective memory and from the imagery of the youngest generations.

Among the most conspicuous interventions of the street artist we highlight the one on the letter "D" of the famous "Hollywood"sign in California.

Rubikcubism and other projects

Since 2004, Invader has also produced a series of works using exclusively Rubik's Cubes. Composed by the words "Rubik" and "Cubism" (the well-known artistic movement of the first half of the twentieth century) the series by Invader Rubikcubism uses a computer program to elaborate the precise arrangement of the colors on the Rubik's Cubes required to achieve the desired image. The cubes are then assembled in the desired pattern until the complete image is obtained and then glued on a support board.

The works are organized in three series: "Bad Men" (portraits of famous villains from Osama bin Laden to Al Capone); "Masterpieces", (iconic paintings of art history) and "Low Fidelity" (based on the covers of the most famous music albums). Among "Masterpieces" we highlight the work, one of the most appreciated of Invader, Mona Lisa depicting the famous masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2008 the series of Invader QR Codes began. The artist uses the innovative digital technology installing black and white mosaics capable of transmitting messages to anyone who, with his smartphone, wants to decipher them. And without altering the message, Invader hides images of the iconic space invaders in the tiles of the code.

Artworks by Invader on Deodato Arte

For those who love Invader’s art, Deodato Arte offers an exclusive selection of the street artist's works signed in original and provided with the certificate of authenticity.

For further information about the artist and his works do not hesitate to contact us.