Invasion Guides: An Introduction to the Books by Invader
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Invader, the well-known French artist dedicated to pixelated mosaics, has shown his unique blend of storytelling and visual artistry with his books. Although it may not have carved a niche in the literary world with his books, it has attracted numerous fans to support his works outside of art. In this post, we explore specifically the Invasion Guides.
Invasion Guides
Invasion Guides have been designed since 2003, with each book telling the unique story of invasions in a city. To date, there are 10 Invasion Guides in total. Invader created these guides as a component of his remarkable installation project, Global Space Invasion, and in the process gained recognition as one of the most ambitious and noteworthy street art ventures in art history. Invader traverses the world, and especially at night, installs his mosaics on the walls of all sorts of places as part of the project. The artist describes his city trips as “invasions”, and plans to put between 20 and 50 mosaics per location.
Typically, the covers feature Invader’s most unique art style with text and characters. Invasion Guides often include images, photos, and detailed descriptions of the processes of invasions. Besides, the book also contains maps of the cities he has invaded and the exact coordinates of where the artworks are located along the texts. Additional information about the many waves of invasions that have been carried out is also often included.
first invasion guide ever
L'INVASION DE PARIS 1.0 (2003)
Exclusivity
Every guide is a literal work of art. Designed with a mix of storytelling and ceramic artwork, there are tile mosaics produced directly above the book cover. The mosaic often features original characters made by Invader that were inspired by Space Invaders. These covers have a strong resonance with the pixelated 8-bit visual register of arcade games since they are made of tiny, square ceramic tiles. This aesthetic has developed into a defining feature of Invader's visual language and is seen in numerous Invader pieces.
Every single one of these invasion guides is special as there is only a limited amount of supply and a whole lot of demand. Regarding the quality and verification, it’s hand-signed, and labeled with the edition of the book.
Highlights
An example of Invasion Guides would be Invasion Guide 3, the Invasion in the UK. The book includes various mosaics over the UK.
INVASION IN THE UK (2007)
Another example would be Invasion Guide 5, Mission Miami. Each and every book of Mission Miami, exactly 50, has a unique mosaic on the book cover.
MISSION MIAMI (2012)
In the Wipe Out Exhibition, Hong Kong, 48 different versions of the Invasion Guides in a red background are showcased, demonstrating the creativity and diversity of the artist.
At Over The Influence, Into the White Cube, the Invasion Guide Invasion Los Angeles 2.1 is exhibited in its full collection. Though it’s unknown exactly how many versions are out there in the market, it is sure that there are a lot.
The Most Recent Invasion Guide
4000 is an Invasion Guide about the 4000 Invaders located worldwide. Each mosaic is recorded in detail, including a code and date for each piece. The exhibition under the same title is a solo exhibition taking place at Over the Influence, Paris, France in 2022-2023, celebrating the 4000 Space Invaders installed worldwide.
Purchase the book at Invader’s official store La Space Shop in September
List of all the Invasion Guides:
L'INVASION DE PARIS (1.0), 2003
INVASION LOS ANGELES, 2004
INVASION IN THE UK, 2007
INVADEROMA, 2010
L'INVASION DE PARIS (2.0), 2012
MISSION MIAMI, 2012
WIPE OUT IN HONG KONG, 2015
NEW MOSAICS OF RAVENNA, 2017
INVASION LOS ANGELES 2.1, 2018
4000, 2022
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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 ~
