Invader is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable figures in contemporary urban art. An elusive artist, he defines himself as an Unidentified Free Artist (UFA), asserting anonymity as a foundational principle of his practice. Masked, pixelated, deliberately out of frame, his pseudonym reflects the very core of his artistic project: to invade public space through art.
Since the late 1990s, Invader has translated the digital universe into the physical world through his now-famous mosaics inspired by 1980s video games, most notably Space Invaders. These pixelated figures, immediately legible, form a universal visual language accessible to all, dissolving the boundaries between popular culture, contemporary art, and the urban environment. Far from a purely playful gesture, this aesthetic questions our relationship to images, technology, and collective memory.
What began in 1998 with the installation of a first mosaic on a Parisian wall quickly evolved into a project of global scale. To date, more than 4,000 works have been installed in dozens of cities worldwide, transforming artistic practice into a form of planetary cartography. This approach reached a powerful symbolic milestone when one of his works became the first artwork exhibited in outer space, integrated into the International Space Station.
Alongside his interventions in public space, Invader has progressively entered the institutional sphere. He has presented solo exhibitions in major galleries and institutions, from Paris to Osaka, without ever renouncing his street-art roots. This dual presence—both in the street and within established art venues—is a cornerstone of his singular position in contemporary art.
His work also extends into new mediums, notably with the Rubikcubism series, in which he creates painterly sculptures composed of Rubik’s Cubes. Remaining faithful to his pixel-based vocabulary, this series deepens his exploration of digital imagery, color, and materiality, while firmly situating his practice within a contemporary tradition of sculpture and assemblage.
