Invader Brings His Pixelated Art to Nashville with Rooftop Mosaic at Ray | stupidDOPE | Est. 2008

"For more than two decades, French street artist Invader-born Franck Slama-has turned city streets into digital landscapes, reimagining the urban environment as a living arcade. His iconic 8-bit mosaics have quietly infiltrated skylines and alleyways in over 79 cities across 20 countries, transforming the familiar into something playful, subversive, and undeniably his. Now, in an unexpected yet fitting next move, Invader is bringing his unmistakable pixel art to the heart of Music City with his first-ever Nashville "invasion.""

"The artist has created a sprawling mosaic for the building's rooftop pool, one that captures his distinctive visual language while reinterpreting how viewers engage with his work. Renderings of the project reveal one of Invader's signature Space Invader characters set dramatically across the pool's floor, framed by a mosaic frieze of retro, blue-hued figures around the perimeter. It's both a celebration of the artist's signature aesthetic and a literal invitation for immersion."

"This commission marks a meaningful milestone in Invader's career. While his work has adorned countless facades, bridges, and corners around the world, he's rarely worked within a residential context-let alone in a way that so directly interacts with the daily lives of its audience. For Invader, who once described his citywide mosaics as "urban acupuncture," this Nashville installation extends his artistic concept into a communal space designed for connection, relaxation, and creative discovery."

Invader, the French street artist Franck Slama, has installed a large 8-bit mosaic across the rooftop pool of Ray Nashville, a new residential development that merges architecture, design, and fine art. The pool floor features a dramatic Space Invader character and a blue-hued mosaic frieze around the perimeter, allowing residents and guests to swim within the artwork. The commission expands Invader’s public-work practice into a residential, communal setting, repurposing his decade-spanning citywide mosaics as a literal, immersive form of urban engagement and furthering his concept of art as a connective, playful intervention.

Read at stupidDOPE | Est. 2008