Spray varnish painted tiles

24 × 55 cm. 9 1/2 × 21 5/8 in.

PROVENANCE
Upper West Side, New York
Square23 Gallery, Torino
Private Collection, Europe

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Square23 Gallery, Torino

Invade the World!
Street Artist Invader's Personalized Elf

Born in 1969, French street artist Invader had academic training at Sorbonne Université and Paris École des Beaux-Arts, prior to his independent journey in 1998. Since then, the cityscape became Invader's canvas, as he explored the infinite possibility of Paris, and many public spaces, to which highly contrasts with the traditional and mainstreamed concept of aestheticism. In his early artistic journey, Invader found his voice through the classic video game, Space Invader, and adopted the notion of digital games as his artistic signature. His signature not only contrasts with the known signature of Graffiti, an iconic connotation with street artists, but also confirms his individuality as an exciting artist.

As a fan of popular culture, Invader also gained inspiration from digital gaming and inserted into his own mosaic-like oeuvre. This idiosyncratic visual language shaped his identity as a particular artist, and transcended his footsteps across the world. Over 20 years, Invader has installed over 4000 works in 79 cities, successfully invaded Hong Kong's Harbour City at Tsim Sha Shui, Central Elevated Walkway, and Sham Shui Po. Each of his invasions became a profound and impressionistic artwork highlighting the beauty of countless cityscapes.

In early 2015, Invader's representative work Space2 was installed on French Space Shuttle Ariane No.5, with a successful launch into space. Such an unprecedented event challenges the concept of constraints, impossibilities, humour and imagination. The successful invasion to space reaffirms the notion of freedom and perseverance. Followed by the iconic space project, Red Space Invader, a maroon mosaic-like artwork shares the same red gradient with Space2. The specific shade of red also recollects the rise of Pop-culture, and signifies Invader's pinnacle artistic years.

The Avant-garde of Breaking the Dimensions

Initially installed at the Upper West Side in New York, Manhattan, Red Space Invader is a firmed strike and protest on mainstreamed culture. As a district filled with the façade of prestige, high-art and culture, established institutions such as New York Metropolitan Museum, Opera Metropolitan Museum and Columbia University speak to the public's fascination and perception with prominence and excellence. Constructed with red porcelain tiles, Red Space Invader speaks to building structures at the Upper West Side. However, its overall imagery contradicts with the highly esteemed ambience of the district. Starting from the left with two tiles, it represents two dots in an iconic digital game, Pac-Man. It conveys the notion of movement, alike in the digital realm where Pac-Man eats the ghost. From a digital world that transcended into an actual world, Red Space Invader became striking the brown-toned neighborhood of Manhattan. Placed on high locations, bright reflective red tiles grab the attention of viewers, meanwhile its large, anime-like eyes look towards the viewers, which infers a sign of judgement. Later, as Red Space Invader was re-located to other locations, time and natural destruction are evidentiary on the tiles, unveiling the original tile colours of a sky-blue tonality. With such layering, the undercoat presents the physicality of Red Space Invader within its digitalized context. Nonetheless, Red Space Invader is a fine example of Invader's duo-concept of a digitalized inspiration at its core, paired with a physical format with strong engagement. As such, it is certain that Invader's site-specific decisions are a response to break the notion of superiority and status. By installing an installation work, he critiques the purpose of aestheticism and decorative art. Also, the alien-like composition of Red Space Invader echoes a profound meaning in the perception of the street art .

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 - 300,000
USD: 25,500 - 38,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 240,000