5 Incredible Facts about the Urban Artist Invader
Who is it Invader?
In the late 1990s, the anonymous French artist Invader began pasting Space Invaders ceramic mosaics – pixelated characters from the video game of the same name – around the streets of Paris.Invader expanded its roster to include Pac-Man and other popular 8-bit characters. Today, his works adorn cities around the world, from Los Angeles to Kathmandu. Along with these clandestine works of urban art, Invader produced mosaics in Perspex panel, plywood and book covers. He also created paintings, drawings and silkscreens, in the same pixelated style. In 2019, astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti brought one of the works ofInvader to the International Space Station, about 248 miles above Earth. Invader he has exhibited internationally, with shows in Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong, among other cities, and his works are sold at high prices. Discover five facts about this fantastic artist here.
1st Fact
Invader is the pseudonym, of a person who was born in 1969 and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The 1978 arcade game Space Invaders became the main theme for the artistic project, produced with ceramic tiles that resemble mosaics or pixilation.Invader cited Space Invaders as 'the perfect icons of our time, a time when digital technologies are the heart of our world'.
2nd Fact
Using the 'wave invasion' tactics, Invader installs 20 to 50 of these 'Space Invaders' in public places in various cities. These 'invasions' started in Paris in 1998 and quickly spread to other cities in France. His works have appeared in over 30 countries and the most famous location is on the 'D' of the Hollywood sign, installed on New Year's Eve 1999. Invader describes this project as 'urban acupuncture'.
3rd fact
OInvader records all the pieces he makes, including the date and place, assigning each work a score between 10 and 100, depending on the success of the 'invasion'. Each city earns its own ranking by adding up all the scores. Invader estimates that up to 15% of their first jobs have already been removed. As a result, it currently installs its parts out of easy reach.
4th fact
Invader he was arrested for his interventions and is banned from entering several countries. He works nights and wears a mask, and insists that his face be pixelated in the rare appearances he makes, as seen in Banksy's acclaimed documentary Exit through the Gift Shop (Invader is the cousin of the central character of the film Thierry Guetta, also known as Mr. Brainwash).
5th fact
The highest altitude for one of the 'Space Invaders' was achieved by flying 22 miles above Earth in a balloon. The lower works of art can be visited when diving off the Mexican coast. Since 2004,Invader creates works of art with Rubik's cubes, an art form he calls 'Rubikcubism'.
