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In the late 1990s, anonymous French artist Invader began cementing and gluing ceramic mosaic Space Invaders—pixelated characters from the eponymous 1978 video game—across the streets of Paris. He expanded his roster to include Pac-Man ghosts and other popular 8-bit characters, and his works now adorn cities around the world, from Los Angeles to Kathmandu. Along with these clandestine works of street art, Invader has produced mosaics on Perspex panel, plywood, and book covers. He has also created paintings, drawings, and screen prints in his signature pixelated style. These works regularly sell for six figures on the secondary market. In 2019, astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti brought one of Invader’s works to the International Space Station, about 248 miles above Earth. Invader has exhibited internationally, with shows in Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels, and Hong Kong, among other cities.

Paris, France