the hippo invader

About

Hippo Invader is the creative identity of a UK-based multidisciplinary artist who studied at the University of the West of England (UWE) and is now based in Bath.

The name takes its starting point from the hippocampus — the part of the brain closely associated with memory. The idea of a ‘memory invader’ reflects my interest in how we experience art through our own memories and associations. An artist can suggest a narrative, but its meaning is never entirely theirs to control; each viewer brings their own history to an image and, in doing so, creates something personal from it.

With a background in illustration, animation, photography and art education, I returned to making my own work following lockdown. The emergence of NFTs and digital art provided an unexpected space to create, exhibit and sell work, connecting me with artists, illustrators, collectors and galleries around the world.

Working alongside such a diverse international creative community became an intense period of learning and experimentation. It helped me develop my own visual language, take creative risks and think differently about how I approach projects. The work was never intended to exist solely as NFTs; pieces were also created for specific exhibitions and physical locations, leading to large-scale projections, public displays and exhibitions internationally.

As the NFT landscape contracted and many of the galleries and platforms associated with it disappeared, a period away from making followed. I am now returning to my practice with a clearer sense of what interests me and where I want to take the work.

Practice & Process

My work explores people, place, texture, memory and time through photography, digital illustration and collage. I am particularly drawn to urban decay, weathered surfaces and the traces that people and histories leave behind.

Photography often provides my starting point. I collect people, objects, architecture and textures alongside archival imagery and other fragments connected to a place. Through digital layering, illustration and manipulation, these elements are reconstructed into surreal environments where different people, histories and moments in time can coexist.

Rather than creating a fixed narrative, I want to leave space for viewers to bring their own experiences and memories to the work — returning to the idea at the heart of Hippo Invader.

Commissions & Collaboration

I am open to illustration and digital commissions, public art, murals, exhibitions, heritage and community projects, moving image and site-specific installations. I am particularly interested in exploring how my digital process can move into physical spaces through print, projection, architectural surfaces and specialist fabrication.

I welcome opportunities to collaborate with artists, designers, organisations and communities, particularly projects exploring the connections between people, place and memory.