Lot  065 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Red Rubik Phantom

Invader (French, 1969)

2007

Rubik's cubes mounted on Plexiglas; unique

84.5(L) x 78(W) x 5.5(D) cm

Estimate

TWD 6,500,000-9,500,000

HKD 1,729,000-2,527,000

USD 222,800-325,600

CNY 1,529,000-2,235,000

Sold Price

TWD 7,200,000

HKD 1,956,522

USD 252,632

CNY 1,647,597


Signature

With a seal of RUBIKCUBISM
Initialed left edge Invader and dated 2007
Signed reverse INVADER, dated 007 and inscribed RED RUBIK PHANTOM

PROVENANCE:
Jonathan LeVine Projects, New York
Private Collection, New York
Taglialatella Galleries, New York
Michael Lisi / Contemporary Art, New York
Sotheby's, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner

EXHIBITED:
The Streets of Europe: New Works and Installations by: Blek Le Rat, Blu, Bo130, D*Face, Microbo, and Space Invader, Jonathan LeVine Projects, New York, December 2007
Game On! The Art of Invader, Taglialatella Galleries, New York, May 11– June 11, 2017

+ OVERVIEW

Space Invader keeps conquering new public spaces according to his grand master plan. Like a space hacker who launches highly difficult aesthetics guerrilla warfare on a height unreachable by ordinary beings, and remains afterwards to co-exist and co-develop within the invaded space. In the 21st century, digital technology is akin to the heartbeat of the world, where all creatures consist of pixilation, replicated repeatedly via square porcelain tiles. In the database created to keep track of his public space invasion projects, Invader has uploaded text, images, photos, dates, and locations, publishing the collected data. Several books have been published so far, detailing invasions in Paris, Los Angeles, London, Rome, Miami, Hong Kong, Marseille, and more. The grand, macroscopic global art installation has been integrated into the culture of each city, enticing city residents to engage in a dialogue with it.

After more than two decades of attempts, Invader has carried out his project as high as 2,362 meters above sea level at villages in Swiss mountains, or even higher into space in 2015, accompanying Space 2 to an International Space Station. The lowest altitude was works buried deep in Cancun Bay affixed to a sculptural work by Jason de Caires, visible only to professional divers. Invader has left his mark even at world renowned scenic spots such as the Hollywood Sign (on the last letter ‘D’), and the Eiffel Tower.

Numerous famous museums and institutions have held Invader solo exhibitions, including: HOCA Foundation, Hong Kong (2015); Museums Quartier, Vienna, Austria (2008); MOCA, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2011); Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego, San-Diego, CA, USA; Daejeon Museum of Arts, Daejon, South Korea; Musée
d’art contemporain, Lyon, France (2001); Musée Ingres et Musée du Louvre, Montauban, France (2009); Musée en Herbe in Paris, France (2017), MaMo,
Centre d’art contemporain, Marseille, France (2020), Borusan Center for Culture and Arts, Istanbul, Turkey; Mjelby Konstgard Museum, Halmstad, Sweden (2002), and more. Furthermore, several institutions have his works on permanent display or in collection, such as Fundación BilbaoArte in Spain, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in England.

The Ravenel Autumn Auctions 2020 SELECT: Modern & Contemporary Art will feature a 2007 work by Invader, Red Rubik Phantom, taken from the red-colored ghost of the classic Japanese video game Pac-Man . Produced in 1980, Pac-Man was certified by the Guinness World Records as the most popular video game in the world. Interestingly, the red ghost is an enemy in the video game, as well as a classic master piece and a low-fidelity 3D pixilation work. Of course, PacMan was a familiar and nostalgic video game for Invader, who was born after 1960. The Pac-Man ghosts and Space Invaders are part of the 20th century video game heritage, representative of the times and full of a magical attraction. (Excerpt from Ravenel quarterly No.33)
Related Info

Select: Modern & Contemporary Art

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 3:30pm