'Exit Through the Gift Shop' expands minds
“If at first you don't succeed, call an airstrike,” proclaims one of Banksy's socially critical works of street art. The English artist has left his mark on buildings all over the world, such as the streets of New Orleans to Israel's infamous barrier around the West Bank. You can even find a Banksy piece here in Columbia. In an alley behind The Pasta Factory is his black spray-painted scrawl: “Jesus smiles when MU loses.”
This month, Banksy will leave another mark. The infamous and highly secretive street artist directed a new documentary, “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” This outrageously hilarious film has been billed as “the world's first street art disaster movie.” It features some of the most influential street artists of all time, including Space Invader, Joshua Levine and the creator of the iconic red, white and blue Obama poster, Shepard Fairey. Though the movie is packed with street art's biggest names, its focus is on an unlikely Frenchman whose obsession for filming street art eventually lead him to become an artist himself.
Thierry Guetta first began filming his cousin, Space Invader, as he put his artwork on buildings and overpasses in various cities. Eventually, Guetta met many street artists and offered them a way to permanently record their usually temporary work. As Guetta compiled more and more footage, the pressure built for him to produce the street art documentary he had been promising for so many years. When Guetta finally showed Banksy his finished documentary, Banksy didn't know what to say. It was terrible.
“I realized Thierry was not a filmmaker, and maybe he was just someone with a mental problem with a camera,” Banksy said in the film.
He sent the aspiring filmmaker back to Los Angeles to do some art, and while he was distracted, Banksy took on the role of director. The result is a zany, wildly successful commentary on the subjective value of art and its role in society.
After watching the film, you wonder if Thierry Guetta really is a crazy filmmaker turned street artist, or if he is one of Banksy's elaborate pranks. Either way, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is certain to make you laugh as hard as it makes you think.
