Critical Review
Half Little Big Space is a signed lithograph print with embossing made by the critically acclaimed French street artist Invader in 2019. The print comes in an edition size of 100 and was released at the District 13 Art Fair in Paris, France, through Galerie Itinerrance. The print depicts an alien character rendered in the 8-bit visual register of arcade games. The print is composed of three colours, red, white and black. The alien’s body is cropped and Invader has made another version of the print, Little Big Space, also made in 2019, which shows the alien’s entire body.
The alien character depicted in this print is inspired by the popular arcade game, Space Invaders, which was made by Japanese game manufacturer Taito in 1978. Space Invaders has inspired many of Invader’s artworks and even inspired the artist’s choice of pseudonym. As well as making prints, Invader is known for making mosaics of alien characters and gluing them onto the walls of cities all over the world. These mosaics are part of the elaborate installation project Invader started in 1998, the Space Invaders project. The project has become recognised as one of the greatest street art stunts in art history and propelled the artist onto the international art stage.
Invader’s artistic style and visual language is profoundly modern and marked by the technological developments of the 21st century. The inspiration Invader takes from arcade games captures his playful spirit and desire to make art more accessible for ordinary people, just as popular games are.
