Review of “Exit Through The Gift Shop”
Millions of people have heard of Banksy, the enigmatic street artist best known for his giant rat stencils & kissing policemen, but no one seems to know who he is. After emerging from the underground graffiti art world of Bristol in the 1980’s, Banksy now produces work snapped up by Hollywood stars for as much as half a million dollars. His art is deeply cynical, provocative, witty and decidedly anti-establishment. Exit Through The Gift Shop is Banksy’s first foray into the world of movie-making and he calls it “the world’s first Street Art disaster movie.” Why disaster? Well, it’s almost certainly a clue about how to read the film, which is presented as a documentary, but which many people believe to be an elaborate Banksy prank. Whatever the truth, it doesn’t really matter: the film is - like Banksy’s other art - brilliantly entertaining, funny and insightful.
The story through the film – and it is a very good story - goes like this: meet Thierry Guetta, a French clothing shop owner obsessed with videoing every moment of his life. Watch as Thierry gets involved with street artists, filming them working over many years, with the aim of making a movie about street art. See Thierry slowly find his way to the top of the street art tree, finally hanging out with Shepard Fairey and then even the mysterious Banksy. But then pause a moment as Banksy realises two important things: firstly that Thierry is never going to make that film, and secondly that Thierry is actually a far more interesting person than Banksy. Then watch as Banksy documents the rise of Thierry as a street artist in his own right - using the name Mr. Brainwash and all the knowledge he has gleaned from years of helping and filming street artists. And what a rise Mr. Brainwash has!
As a documentary, the film provides some unique insights into the methods of the world’s greatest street artists: in particular the difficult conditions of their night time work and how quickly they have to create their art to avoid capture. But as a Banksy film it’s a great yarn about a wacky Frenchman, and a devastating critique of the art-world, of the cult of the popular artist, and of how the punters can be fooled. As Shepard Fairey has said “people’s fantasy is a far better marketing tool than reality.” Banksy’s genius is that he knows how to ride the line between the two.
Rating:
Leave a Reply