The world-renowned French street artist known as Invader has landed a truly out-of-this-world exhibition in the heart of Paris. Closing on May 5th, 2024, "Invader Space Station" takes over all nine floors and 37,000 square feet of the former Libération newspaper offices at 11 Rue Béranger, Paris.
For his largest exhibition to date, Invader has transformed the unique industrial building into an immersive spaceship-like experience dedicated to his iconic pixelated mosaic artworks. Featuring several hundred works spanning photography, video, sculpture and installation, it provides a comprehensive survey of the anonymous artist's illustrious 25-year career.
"The exhibition will be like a mother ship, a starship," Invader told The New Yorker, expressing his obsession with space that has driven much of his artistic practice inspired by the classic 1978 video game Space Invaders.
Upon entering, visitors are immediately transported through a dramatic, pulsating "Space Battle" installation constructed from synchronized road dividers meant to mimic the game's opening alien army attack. They then navigate up concrete ramps and stairways, encountering murals, photographs, and objects that lay out Invader's "invasions" as he has surreptitiously embedded his pixel-based characters on streets across Paris and around the globe.
Further into the show a gargantuan map showcases the locations of all 1,500 of the mosaics Invader has laid in Paris dating back to 1998 when he began using the city as his "open-air gallery." Other rooms document his extensive travels to "invade" 83 territories, including far-flung destinations such as the International Space Station.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the show is Invader's incorporation of toys and pop culture ephemera that have influenced his work over the years. An entire floor is devoted to his collection of Kinder Surprise figurines, while another section allows visitors to participate by sticking stickers on a graffiti wall.
The exhibition provides insight into Invader's evolution from his influential "invasions" to his innovative "Rubikcubism" paintings and sculptures made from arrangements of Rubik's Cubes. In addition to archival documentation, the show features new works created specifically for the exhibition's unique venue. Of particular note is a permanent new "Red, White and Black Space Invader" installed on the building's rooftop terrace, designed to be visible from the sky above Paris.
With "Invader Space Station," the anonymous artist has landed his most comprehensive exhibition ever mounted cementing his status as a pioneering force who has reinvigorated the rhetoric and possibilities of street art over the past quarter century. With just under a month left to see this ambitious retrospective there’s still plenty of time to buy a ticket and travel space in style.
For more information about the exhibition or to book a slot online click here.
15 April 2024