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Invader — Rubik Isonicotinoyl Chloride
Invader

Rubik Isonicotinoyl Chloride

2022

Invader's 'Rubik Isonicotinoyl Chloride' is a characteristically playful yet intellectually loaded work, combining the artist's iconic use of Rubik's cubes with a title drawn from the language of organic chemistry, creating a collision between pop culture and scientific nomenclature. The Rubik's cubes, arranged on an acrylic backing, function as three-dimensional pixels, extending Invader's long-standing engagement with 8-bit video game aesthetics into a sculptural register where color is both medium and message. Isonicotinoyl chloride is a chemical compound associated with pharmaceutical synthesis, and by invoking it alongside his signature puzzle-cube medium, Invader seems to suggest that art-making itself is a kind of formula — a recombination of known elements into new configurations. The acrylic backing gives the work a clinical, almost laboratory-like presentation, reinforcing the scientific framing while also allowing light to interact with the cubes in ways that animate the grid. This piece exemplifies Invader's broader project of infiltrating everyday life with coded imagery, here operating at the intersection of consumer nostalgia, scientific language, and urban art practice.

Medium
Rubik's cubes on acrylic
Dimensions

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About this work

Invader, Rubik Isonicotinoyl Chloride, 2022

Invader's 'Rubik Isonicotinoyl Chloride' is a characteristically playful yet intellectually loaded work, combining the artist's iconic use of Rubik's cubes with a title drawn from the language of organic chemistry, creating a collision between pop culture and scientific nomenclature. The Rubik's cubes, arranged on an acrylic backing, function as three-dimensional pixels, extending Invader's long-standing engagement with 8-bit video game aesthetics into a sculptural register where color is both medium and message. Isonicotinoyl chloride is a chemical compound associated with pharmaceutical synthesis, and by invoking it alongside his signature puzzle-cube medium, Invader seems to suggest that art-making itself is a kind of formula — a recombination of known elements into new configurations. The acrylic backing gives the work a clinical, almost laboratory-like presentation, reinforcing the scientific framing while also allowing light to interact with the cubes in ways that animate the grid. This piece exemplifies Invader's broader project of infiltrating everyday life with coded imagery, here operating at the intersection of consumer nostalgia, scientific language, and urban art practice.

Medium
Rubik's cubes on acrylic
Dimensions
161 x 161 x 5.7 cm
Year
2022
Seen at
HENI, London, United Kingdom

Related themes

Geometric, Street Art, Sculpture, Rubik's Cubes, 2020s, Playful, Three-Dimensional, Colorful, Found Objects, Contemporary

More works by Invader

Similar artists

Felice Varini, Daniel Arsham, Jim Lambie

Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Hamilton Selway Gallery