videoludica. game culture 

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"Space Invader's new exhibition opening on 5 October at Lazarides Gallery will be his first London solo exhibition. Space invaders was a video phenomenon of the 1980s, heralding the birth of a new era in both technology and popular culture. 30 years on, French artist Space Invader has filled the streets with pixellated mosaic tiles of his work inspired by the original game, spreading them over the walls of more than 35 of the world's biggest cities in the last ten years alone.

The first part of the show, LONDON INVASION, documents the contribution Space Invader has made to the streets of London since 1999. This is illustrated by an installation of photographs that chart the production of over100 pieces on the walls of the capital. The second part, BAD MEN PART II,displays the artist's most recent rubikcubist works - portraits of infamousand notorious fictional bad boys from the world of Hollywood made with Rubik's cubes (including Rubik Scarface Club depicted above). These striking images are unrecognizable when seen up-close, but the visitor need only to take a step back to come face-to-face with such nightmarish figures as Charles Manson.

While Space Invader's murals illustrate the aggressive nature of ourpopular culture, they simultaneously critique it by pixellating and therefore distorting the images we encounter in everyday life. His hundreds of unique and individually numbered 'space invaders' catch our gaze as we walk by, granting us access to his dynamic and disorientating world. In doing so, Space Invader points to the important transformation of society thatinformation networks have brought about. His pixilated versions of contemporary icons, rendered in the age-old medium of mosaic, forefront the immaterial and transient nature of twenty-first century data.

Space Invader lives in paris, and has had work exhibited in galleries around the world, including BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art, Newcastle,Subliminal Projects, LA and Galerie Joellenbeck, Cologne. His work hasbeen published in several monographs, including 'Invasion Los Angeles' (2004), 'L'Invasion de paris' (2003) and 'Invasion in the UK' (2007), which will be released to coincide with the Lazarides show." (Lazarides Gallery, press release)

Invader
Lazarides Gallery
Lazarides Gallery
8 Greek Street
Soho, London
W1D 4DG
Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-7pm
Admission: Free
Exhibition Dates: Fri 05th of October - Fri 09th of November


Link: Space Invader

Link: Lazarides Gallery, London

Link: Latest Exhibitions

Link: Space Invaders' Flickr galleries

Link: An "irreverent" interview