Invader

Working under the pseudonym Invader, the French urban artist is best known for his ceramic tile mosaics modelled on the pixelated art of the 1970s and 1980s ‘8-bit’ video games. Now known as Frank Slama, his titular aliens have infiltrated street corners and buildings across 79 cities in 20 different countries. Invaders’ premise is that museums and galleries often alienate art from society, thus the streets offer the perfect canvas for all to enjoy.

Invader initially derived inspiration from the video games he played as a child. Utilising the tile, enabled him to represent the pixels iconic of the games ‘8-bit’ graphics, which he began relaying in mosaic installations in and around Paris in the 1990s. He has since staged invasions in cities such as New York and Hong Kong. In 1999, he marked the letter ‘D’ of the Hollywood Sign with a mosaic marking the ‘Y2K bug’. In the same year, he had his first solo exhibition at Jean Charles de Castelbajac CS in Paris, entitled ‘New Player Insert Coins’.

Identifying himself as a “hacker” of public space spreading a mosaic “virus”, his mosaics extend beyond his signature aliens including Star Wars and Pink Panther. Each composition takes roughly two weeks and are then mapped, catalogued and photographed into city ‘invasion maps’.

Since 2004, Invader has also created a portfolio of works by manipulating Rubik’s cubes (a method called “rubikcubism”). They are organised into three series: ‘Bad Men’, ‘Masterpieces’ and ‘Low Fidelity’. Amongst the images he has created, he has received particular attention for a portrait of Florence Rey. 

Invader has taken part in more than 15 group shows and 19 solo exhibitions. In 2015, a replica of ‘Hong-Kong Phooey’ reached HK$1.96 million at Sotheby’s.