French street artist Invader is known for mosaics around the world inspired by the pixelated graphics of the 1970 arcade games.
The artist working. Source: @invaderwashere
This time he chose Bhutan – a country with plenty of sacred Buddhist temples – for his “invasion”. However, the public reaction to his latest artworks was controversial.
Invader placed his first work on a wall of Bhutan’s most ancient monastery, Cheri Goemba, built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unifier of Bhutan as a nation-state, in 1620. The piece depicts a Tibetan mandala in the artist’s signature style.
In the next few days, Invader posted photos of his other ten works in Bhutan, one of them on a sacred building, according to Artnet.com. Some of the artist’s fans are upset: “Don’t get me wrong I love your work but this seems more like ego than anything else. These are sacred places that are peaceful, balanced and it’s so obvious when you look at every photo you posted how much your art sticks out… I’m sorry man but you missed it on this one,” one of them wrote on Instagram.
The artist tried to explain his position on Instagram: “I know that some people will scream that it is disrespectful to have practiced my art in Bhutan. Personally I don’t think so! My practice tells a story, and I don’t know why I should deprive Bhutan from this story. I’m proud to have left my trace in that wonderful country.”
The artist’s assistant later told Artnet that the “chief” monk at Cheri Goemba gave Invader permission to install the work. She says he “even asked Invader to put it inside the temple, letting him choose between several locations”.
Head over to Invader’s Instagram for more artworks.
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