INVADER

Invader (French, b.1969), also known as Space Invader, is an Urban artist originally based in Paris. He affixes mosaic images of characters from the 1970s video game “Space Invaders" in cities around the world. Once a work is completed, Invader records it as an "invasion" and creates accompanying maps and reference books to indicate the location of each piece. Invader began these urban, outdoor installations in Paris in 1998, and continued to "invade" 31 other cities in France, followed by an additional 22 cities across Europe. Currently, cities in the United States, Canada, Asia, and Australia are also home to examples of Invader's work.

The mosaics are made using weather-resistant tiles, which represent the pixels used for for graphics in early video and computer games. The installation process typically takes at least one week, including scouting, recording, and mapping locations. One of the most conspicuous locations to feature works by Invader is the landmark Hollywood Sign in California; the first mosaic work was mounted on the "D," on December 31, 1999. In addition to mosaics, Invader creates similarly pixelated works using Rubik’s Cubes. Since 2000, Invader's works have been featured in galleries around the world, and he gained even greater popularity and renown after he was featured in the 2010 documentary film about Street Art, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

This artist is responsible for perhaps the most recognizable street art stunt of the last decade. In a planet-wide war of attrition, the pixilated expansionist aliens from Toshiro Nishikado's infamous 1978 arcade game Space Invaders stalked the Earth one more, appearing everywhere from on the 'Hollywood'' letters to Jacques Chirac's lapel. Despite a counter-attack in Los Angeles, where a local ''vigilante'' group fought back against the Invaders defiling any they saw, eighty-five percent of the original put-ups remain. Gallic in origin, Space Invader''s work is distinctly in its whimsicality, offering the viewer not only some tasteful Parisian-style vandalism but the opportunity to theorize wildly about what its purpose may be. Is it easier to see the modern world through the values of a simpler and more idealistic age? Are the pieces an aggressive attempt to conquer the artist''s alienation from his surroundings? This is the sort of stuff you find yourself thinking when confronted by French graffiti.

Invader's new gallery pieces are made up from hundreds of original Rubik''s cubes (we''re not telling you where they''re from, but we have loads out the back). Ranging from interpretations of iconic images (the Mona Lisa, Alex from A Clockwork Orange) to the abstract (representations of fragmented and de-fragmented hard drives), the Rubik's pieces are as instantly recognizable as Space's Invaders, and on their way to becoming just as internationally recognized. No little square stickers were peeled off and moved around in the making of these artworks.