What’s Happening: Space Invaders Invading The Musée en Herbe

Don’t you love spotting those little colorful tile squares of Pac-Manesque characters on buildings around the streets of Paris? (I wonder how some of them get up there!) It’s just as exciting when you see them in other cities around the world. The Musée en Herbe brings a selection of these cool creations by the infamous street artist Invader under one roof in their newest playground exhibition “Hello My Game Is…”

Invader got started in 1998 in Paris and 20 years later he has installed almost 3500 works in 67 cities around the world. His work is inspired by the video game characters of his childhood so it’s no wonder that this exhibition, his first since 2011, is super kid-friendly. The museum advertises the exhibition as geared toward kids aged 3 to 103.

There are more than 100 new and old works. The kids aren’t allowed to touch the art, but you can redirect them to the various other interactive areas. There is a bucket with masks, binoculars, and a self-guided treasure hunt the little ones can enjoy, that’s after you peel them away from the arcade games. Err…or maybe that is if you can peel yourself away from playing Pac-Man and Pong. One room features a large interactive map to find Space Invaders in different cities (nearly as much fun as Where’s Karl?), and a magnetic board in another room where the kids can create their own art with colored squares. You will find a list online of  guided tour and workshop combinations for children as well as for adults (“big kid” tours involve aperitifs) lasting from 30 minutes to two hours.

The Musée en Herbe opened in 1975 and often features kid-friendly exhibitions. Past exhibitions include L’Art et le Chat featuring the work of Philippe Geluck, Le Musée Imaginaire de Tintin, and Les Hiéroglyphes de Keith Haring.

Photo courtesy of Hello my game is © Invader/Musée en Herbe