HENI is delighted to present Camouflage by Invader, a new release featuring 21 unique screenprint editions on Somerset Satin Cotton set within an aluminium frame, split across five sizes. Begun in 2023, the Camouflage series shows the artist’s famed Space Invader figure hidden amongst camouflage patterns.
The artworks are available by application from 29 November until 17:00 GMT on 9 December.
In the Camouflage prints, the Space Invader is disguised through clever choices in colour and composition. At times clearly visible, in other instances the form is concealed by dark, almost monochrome colour or through a Space Invader-like pattern, disappearing the figure into the surrounding composition.
"Ultimately, my work revolves around the concept of camouflage. I spend my time hiding my mosaics in the urban fabric. I camouflage myself in the landscape. So, I’ve adopted the aesthetic of military camouflage by hiding invaders in the pattern."
To coincide with the drop, HENI Primary releases Alias and Pixel Pieces by Invader, featuring 10 unique ceramic artworks.
The Alias works are ‘unique doubles’ of Invader’s street mosaics and bridge the gap between public art and gallery spaces, allowing collectors to own a piece linked to a specific public installation.
"What I love is that those aliases create a bridge between the street and the gallery. They are conceptual works – if you own an Alias and pass its street version, you can say it’s yours. And if it disappears, you get to keep the memory of it."
The Pixel Pieces works break free from the site-specific designs and dimensions of the Alias series and offer a new way to explore the pixelated mosaics the artist is known for.
"A year or two ago, I started making mosaics that weren’t Alias. It was for an exhibition in Los Angeles where I wanted to line up the works in a perfect grid on a wall, so I needed them all to be the same size, which can’t be done with the Alias series, as their dimensions vary to correspond with the original street mosaics, which themselves are scaled to their respective locations. I called this new work Pixel Pieces."
The elusive street artist Invader uses his now-ubiquitous pixelated characters to bring the digital world to the physical world and art to the masses. Self-described as an Unidentified Free Artist (UFA) whose identity is perennially hidden behind masks and digital pixelations, his pseudonym reflects his artistic practice - to invade public spaces with art.
What started as a playful attempt to make his art more publicly visible by pasting his first mosaic onto a Parisian wall in 1998 now consists of over 4,000 works on a global scale. Invader’s artwork was even the first art to be exhibited in space and can be found on the International Space Station.
Invader has challenged the traditional boundaries of the art world, holding solo exhibitions at prestigious galleries from Paris to Osaka. Never abandoning his dedication to street art, since 1998 Invader has expanded his practice into new media, producing installations and film. Invader continues to innovate within his characteristic aesthetic, allowing it to evolve as he invents new ways to bring accessible art to the masses.
Invader at the HENI Gallery
You can now buy exclusive hoodies, t-shirts, posters, and notebooks from the Camouflage collection on the HENI Merch shop. The merchandise collection will also be available at the HENI Gallery.
The new book INVADER: In Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist is also available from HENI Publishing.
All of the Camouflage editions and Alias and Pixel Pieces are on display at the HENI Gallery until 19 January. Admission to the gallery is free, with no appointment required.
HENI Gallery
6-10 Lexington St, London W1F 0LB
29 Nov - 9 Dec: Open Monday - Sunday, from 10am - 6pm
10 Dec - 19 Jan: Open Monday - Friday, from 10am - 6pm
A selection of prints are on display in the windows at 29-35 Lexington Street.