September 15, 2017
One of our clients is a serious collector of street art who recently brought us an amazing “Space Invader” tile work from French street artist Invader. This was so much fun to frame!! When we saw the red, white and black tile design the choice was clear. We designed a slick black closed corner frame with contrasting red splines. Due to the weight, we had to build a maple wood platform which was done in white to set off the colors. The art was enclosed in a shadow box design with wood spacers and museum glass.
The completed shadow boxed "Space Invader" ready for its new home
Invader has been hitting the streets since 1998 and he refers to himself as a UFA –Unidentified Free Artist. He hides his identity behind a mask and only works with a very tight circle of collaborators in his studio. His representing gallery claims he, “Lives and works on Earth”, but more specifically he began his practice in Paris. His original intention was to paint canvases of the Space Invader characters, but the pixilated quality of the primitive 8-bit graphics suggested the more outdoor friendly medium of tile. Invader’s mission is to free art from the restrictions of gallery and museum spaces and offer it on the streets to passers-by. He also sees the Space Invader project as freeing the digital characters from their game world.
Details of platform, shadow box, and splined corner frame
Due to his popularity however, Invader like many street artists, has found success in the gallery and museum world and his works fetch high prices. His highest priced works at auction are originals that have been removed from their outdoor locations. He offers “Aliases” a single replica of original street art installations with a certificate of authenticity. He also offers more affordable limited edition Space Invaders via his online shop. Although he is best known for the Space Invaders project, he works with other icons of pop culture and other series of his work employ QR codes and Rubik's cubes. Additional ventures include his Flashinvaders smartphone app as well as being a featured artist in the Banksy documentary, "Exit Through the Gift Shop".
The mysterious and masked Invader during his NYC "residency" in 2015 with Joey Ramone and pizza tilesWe look forward to working with many more fun art projects like this one and meeting the challenges they present with ever more exciting custom designs!
