Invader

Invader (b. 1969), also known as Space Invader, is an anonymous French street artist based in Paris. He is known for his mosaics of pixelated video game characters from the 1970s and 1980s, such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros. His art installations (called “invasions”) are present in cities all over the world. The tiles are made of water-resistant material and the process typically lasts one week, including scouting, recording, and mapping. The artworks often appear in locations that have cultural or historical significance, with one notable example being the letter D of the Hollywood Sign marking the Y2K bug. The artist began to affix his work in Paris, followed by 31 other cities in France and urban areas all across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. To reference his installations, he publishes books and maps to indicate the placement of his pieces.

Invader also makes mosaics using QR codes as well as paintings and sculptures based on Rubik’s Cubes. In 2012, he produced a short documentary titled Art4Space. The film records his attempt to “invade” space, by launching one of his aliens into the stratosphere on a high-altitude balloon. His work has been showcased in galleries internationally and he achieved even greater recognition, after being featured in the 2010 documentary on street art, Exit Through the Gift Shop.