Los Angeles: Invasion of the Hollywood Sign
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The iconic landmark of Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign, stands as a symbol of the entertainment industry and a beacon for dreamers worldwide. However, did you know that French artist Invader once took his mosaics to the beloved landmark and invaded the every single letter on the iconic sign? Let’s take a deep dive into the thrilling Invasion of the Hollywood Sign.
The First Wave
In late December 1999, Invader had invaded Los Angeles with 41 mosaics. Believed to be Invader’s cousin, Mr Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) accompanied him in installing the mosaics and filmed the street artist at work. The footage was later used as the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop directed by Banksy, which gave rise and fame to Mr Brainwash.
On precisely the last day of 1999, 31 December, Invader placed the 11th mosaic in LA on the letter “d” of the Hollywood Sign. A helicopter was used to chase them down for entering private property. It was later believed that the two had been given a ticket and had a court date prepared for their judgment. LA_11 was later removed.
LA_11
The Second Wave
Three years later, in December 2002, 24 mosaics were placed around the city. LA_61 was an orange invader placed on the letter “w” of the sign. This mosaic was also removed sometime later.
The Third Wave
In the following year, 2003, Invader had once again invaded Los Angeles, with 28 mosaics installed. This time 4 mosaics were part of the Invasion of the Hollywood Sign. LA_67, LA_68, LA_69, and LA_70 were mosaics placed on the letters “h”, “o”, “y”, and the second “o”, respectively. They have all since been destroyed
LA_67-70
At the same time, Invader published his Invasion Map for Los Angeles, which at that time only featured mosaics on 6 letters of the Hollywood sign from 9.
The Fourth Wave
A few months later, in April of 2004, Invader had come again with 11 more mosaics, three of which were placed on letters of the sign. LA_102, LA_103, and LA_104 were installed on the remaining letters “o” and the two “l”s accordingly. LA_103 and LA_104 adopted the RubikCubism art style, which was a rare occurrence in Invader’s art. At the same time, Invader participated in the exhibition “I invade HOYWOD” held by Subliminal Projects, but there were insufficient references on the settings.
LA_102-104
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We do not own any copyrights to the photos used
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All rights reserved ~ We do not own any copyrights to the photos used ~
