Critical Review
Invasion Kit 2, Blue Octopus is a ceramic artwork produced by the renowned French street artist Invader in 2003 which comes in an edition size of 150. The artwork has a dual function; not only is it a limited edition piece created by Invader but it is also a kit that enables people to produce their own Invader inspired alien mosaics. Invasion Kit 2, Blue Octopus is a set of blue ceramic, square tiles that, when arranged together according to the kit’s instructions, form an alien that resembles those from the popular arcade game, Space Invaders.
The artwork is part of Invader’s Invasion Kits collection which accompanies his impressive installation project, the Space Invaders project. Invader started the project in 1998, inspired by Japanese game manufacturer Taito’s game of the same name. Invader took it upon himself to adorn the walls of urban cities with mosaics of aliens from the arcade game. Invader calls the act of going to these cities to install the mosaics ‘invasions’ and proudly claims to have ‘invaded’ over 30 countries all over the world.
The invasion kits are means for people to launch their own invasions and reproduce the alien mosaics that Invader has become globally recognised for creating.
