SummaryExit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West B...
SummaryExit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West B...
Thierry, an amateur film maker, decides to make documentary about famous street artists. But everything changes as he gets fame and attention. As we see events unfold, we have no way but to reconsider the meaning of art and artist. We also have to take a look at
This is a marvelous take on art and what it means. What it means to be an artist. What are the rules and limits. How much art is truly art and how much it is a sensation driven by advertisement.
This is not just a story about Terry and his success story as an artist, it is also a story about us. Because, we are the visitors of his gallery. We are the buyers of his art. We give him fame and wealth and fortune.
One of the quotes at the ending of the movies summarizes it all, “The joke is on … uh … mm [us]”. And by us, I mean all of us (the artist, the visitors, the media, the promoters). We all to varying degrees are megalomaniacs. We oversell ourselves and our identities for personal gains. To reject this notion is just adding a layer of hypocrisy to the mix. But I argue it is fine. If a **** wants to call a piece of **** art and pay a humongous amount of money for them, they have the right to do it.
It is also a criticism of Banksy's work. If there are no rules in art, what is the difference between Banksy and Terry (or between Banksy and Picasso) and if there are rules, who decides them.
Perhaps the one of the best documentary/mockumentary to appear in the past decade, excuse the slash, because it is quite hard to tell if this is real or not, either way it is a truly fascinating look at the underworld art of the street, you may know it as graffiti.
Infamous street artist Banksy has created this little film using footage of amateur (in every sense of the word) filmmaker Thierry Guetta, who spends most of his life with a camera in his hands. After beginning to follow his street artist cousin Invader around, Thierry is soon introduced to some of the most well-known artists in the world, including famous OBEY artist Shepard Fairey, who seems a bit disillusioned to Guetta, yet continues to let him follow him anyway.
Guetta finally makes acquaintances with Banksy, who is surprised by Guetta's loyalty and persistent nature.
As Banksy's hidden and hooded figure speaks to the camera, he does say that he places full trust in Guetta, particularly after a controversial piece of art at Disneyland involving a blow up doll.
The film is one of the funniest things to witness, Thierry Guetta sort of seems like a lucky guy falling into the right places at the right time, he never shows much intelligence in what he does, never asking pressing questions but silly ones instead, and if this truly was a true documentary, then I'm sure the artists involved also don't quite know what to make of him, Banksy opening the film by saying that it started as a film about him but this guy was much more interesting was hilarious because perhaps its true, he is seemingly an overnight sensation by using other artist's work and throwing dashes of paint and photoshopped wigs on them to pass them off as his own. He did, however, incorporate the name of Mister Brainwash, so perhaps this was just utter genius, selling over one million dollars worth of art, yet barely taking part in any of the work itself.
This is a very simple and witty take on a "legally grey area" of art, and just some of Banksy's art is showcased and we get a glimpse of just how talented this man is, and the risks that himself and other street artists take to evade the law in the name of beauty.
Whether it was real or not, Exit Through the Gift Shop is certainly a must see for art and documentary fans alike, Mister Brainwash is certainly an enigma, but perhaps one that wasn't supposed to happen.
The brilliantly untrustworthy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop reminds us that a film can start out in one direction and then change course so radically, it becomes an act of provocation unto itself.
Narrated by Rhys Ifans with the dryness of a dessicated toad, Exit Through the Gift Shop is both an exhilarating testament to serendipity and an appalling testament to art-world inanity.
As a study in prankhood, this Banksy film can’t touch “F for Fake,” Orson Welles’s 1974 movie about an art forger. Welles both conspired with his untrustworthy subject and held him at arm’s length, like a conjurer with his rabbit, and you came out dazzled by the sleight, whereas Exit Through the Gift Shop feels dangerously close to the promotion of a cult--almost, dare one say it, of a brand.
Fantastic even if taken at face value. If elements are false or even if the personality of the main protagonist is a fabrication of Banksy, this would add rather than detract from the experience. Hugely entertaining.
Feels like Thierry Guetta's unpublished film "Life Remote Control" would have been a more interesting one to watch. But also feels MBW is just another front for Banksy to go commercial and sell his artwork... whatever it is the artwork alone is worth the watch.
Voilà un documentaire sur les graffitis, pas les tags de la racaille, non, non, les graffitis en tant que forme d'art "populaire culturel rebelle qui dénonce" sur des pans de murs entiers et qui "interpellent", si, si. En fait, on s'en branle de leurs gribouillages de neuneus qui tentent désespérément d'attirer l'attention mais le monde est ainsi fait qu'il y aura toujours des débiles pour s'extasier devant de la merde.
Navré, mon clavier a fourché, je voulais dire "de l'art contemporain", cela va de soi. Et s'il faut en retenir une chose, ce sera celle-ci : dans contemporain, il y a con. Bien sûr, à l'origine, il ne s'agit que d'art événementiel, du "street art", mais du moment qu'on case "art" dedans, c'est tout ce qui compte.
Et parfois, ça peut compter sévère, surtout pour les **** malins qui profitent des cons qui ont du pognon ; les **** malins exposent finalement leur "art' temporaire dans des expositions "piéjakon", des galeries "peignecul" et de façon inouïe leurs "créations" sont même vendues aux enchères à des spéculateurs qui spéculent sur ces merdes pour les refourguer plus **** à d'autres cons bien plus riches et encore plus cons et ainsi de suite...
Par ailleurs, il ne s'agit même pas d'art mais simplement de faire marcher la photocopieuse : Marylin, Obama, M. Spock, John Lennon et j'en passe et des meilleures, à la manière de cet autre escroc Andy Warhol qui a bien profité de la manne des trous du cul en extase devant tant de "culture" artistique. Lol mort de rire.
On marche sur la tête mais le monde est ainsi fait et ce documentaire est là pour en témoigner... et puis quoi, qui t'es, toi, pour critiquer ? moi ? je ne suis personne et je te dis que ton "art" c'est de la grosse merde. Point barre.