Pau in 2000, Contis in 2010, Cap-Ferret in 2018, it's been six years since you last returned to the South-West. Why did you invade the Basque Country?
Simply because I went there last summer and realized that Biarritz, and the Basque Country in general, was a territory of great cultural wealth and great beauty, and that I did not had never worked. It’s now done!
Bayonne defends street Art through its Points of View festival. Invading the BAB, is that a validation of this work?
Not directly. But, perhaps thanks to him, I felt a very good reception of my work, which is very motivating and rewarding.
In this regard, Maider Arosteguy, mayor of Biarritz, expressed a reservation on heritage sites, such as the Plaza Berri or Le Royal. Do you understand ?
I understand that it can be shared between the preservation of existing heritage and the conservation of my works. But we can also consider that my works are like a new layer of heritage that is part of the city. We will see what his decision will be.
Invading Anglet. Like Banksy, the street artist values his anonymity.
Invader
Invader
The mosaics are composed in the workshop before being stuck on the walls.
Rowing Bayonnais, surfing, the ikurriña (the Basque flag): certain mosaics refer to local culture. How do you work upstream?
There was obviously a lot of scouting, research and preparation work with the idea of creating pieces that echo local culture and heritage. The preparation time depends on the scale of the invasion. The BAB one took me several months.
From emblematic sites like the Côte des Basques, the Villa Belza or the surroundings of Bayonne Cathedral, to more discreet streets: what is your visual strategy?
It's quite subjective. I study the places, I do some scouting and I intervene on the points that caught my attention. I often compare this process to a kind of urban acupuncture. After working alone for years, I now have a small team who lend me a hand, both with preparation and installation.
Why did you choose to represent the aliens from the video game “Space Invaders”? Are you a geek?
Not really, but I am part of this generation which saw the birth of the first video games like “Pong”, “Space Invaders”, “Breakout” or “Pac Man”. And “Space Invaders” fits my project perfectly. Not only do I represent his pixel characters using ceramic tiles, but above all, his name fits perfectly with my project: invading (urban) space.
Street Art: Invader returns to the South-West, and it hits hard in the Basque Country!
Two days – or rather two nights – were enough, on November 8 and 9, to see Bayonne, Biarritz and Anglet invaded by the iconic aliens of Invader, the international star of street art. Subsidiary question: will these cities choose to preserve these spontaneous works which have flourished in emblematic places like the Côte des Basques or the Villa Belza?
Invader
View of the Invader workshop: the themes used for the invasion of the Basque Country stick to local identity. Surf, sun, rugby and ikurriña.
Invader
To stick to the identity of a place, certain works move away from the recurring motif of aliens from “Space Invaders”.
How do you envisage the playful dimension of your work?
For people who pay attention, discovering my interventions is a bit like a treasure hunt that allows you to have a new look at a city or a territory. And even more so since I developed the Flashinvaders application which allows you to play with your smartphone.
Mosaics mark a strong commitment, such as “Protect ocean”, in reference to the request for the release of Paul Watson. What can art, and particularly street art, do in today's world?
Street art conveys, in my eyes, the idea of total freedom of action, creation and demand. I am rarely directly political in my work, but the defense of the planet and the preservation of its ecosystems seem to me to be an important cause to support. Being a great admirer of the work of Paul Watson, it seemed important to me to claim my support for this man who, in my eyes, is more of a hero than an outlaw.
Some of your works are sometimes destroyed, stolen or copied…
Their destruction saddens me, of course. Concerning the copies, it is true that some artists are so inspired by my work that it is confusing.
Have all the BAB mosaics been found?
Yes. Today there is such a community of aficionados who follow my work that my works are discovered in record time.
Nothing in Bordeaux: when are you coming back to the South-West?
Working on a global scale, this project is never-ending. But I hope that the invasion of Bordeaux will take place one day.
Not seen, but known
Do not show your face, do not use your real name, communicate only in writing. Email or instant messaging. Invader set conditions before agreeing to answer questions from “Sud Ouest”. Like Banksy, the street artist values his anonymity. “This idea has been part of the project since my beginnings. This adds an element of mystery and allows the audience to project their own imagination. » The light is for the invaders.
