Exit Through The Gift Shop

A film about a film that led to the inevitable creation of the film itself

"Exit Through The Gift Shop" is one of those films that you think you know what is going on and you think you understand the protagonist but once the end of the film comes along you are not sure with what to consider and think about it.

Intended to be a film about street art and about Banksy, an infamous street artist, this film turned out to be about the development of Thierry Guetta from amateur film maker to known street artist through his journey and experience with a plethora of fellow street artists.

The film is a satire on street art, the way media and commercialization transforms the art, and the transformation of your average Joe into a presumptuous and somewhat narcissistic character. Some ways the film equips satire in really telling its story and focusing on the overall message of art is the camera work, the constant switch of narration from Banksy and Guetta, to the raw footage of artists such as Shephard Fairey, Invader, Swoon, Seizer, Neckface, and ultimately Banksy.

Inevitably this film makes the viewer think about the meaning of art and what falls under the umbrella of it. Does this film change ones perspective on street art or of street artists? The short answer is yes. Street art has a bad reputation, typically associated with gangs or criminals. Street art is so much more because as the film shows the audience, street art is a strong passion and form of expressionism for many artists. Hell, it even makes Guetta, the main character of the film, transform into an artist known as Mr. Brainwash by the end of the movie. Art has a strong impact on individuals. Any art invokes certain emotions depending on the art and its message from the artist. Much of the art seen from the raw footage appears as protest. Disagreement towards social norms and disagreement towards government policies. Banksy says that art is long-lasting. Many artwork pieces are created with materials that will be preserved for a long time, however street art is not forever; street art has a small lifespan. Therefore, it holds a special place in the world, another reason why Banksy allowed for Guetta to record him. It is special to record this, to record the art. Just how Guettas experience of his mother passing away at the age of 11, he wanted to record everything and make it forever. The art is not long lasting so it must be filmed to be preserved in history.

Despite the art being produced by the artists and being considered as recognizable and beautiful art (hell Banksy created a US based gallery and it held more than 2000 people including Hollywood giants such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jude Law), the question of whether it is considered as vandalism or pure street art is tough. This question really tears me apart because I'm a person that appreciates any art form on any medium. Street art is a form of protest and expressionism and the world is its canvas. Any wall is a canvas. Any blank space is a canvas. However, my love for architecture and creating large standing structures with gorgeous exterior designs and colors and symmetry sometimes gets in the way of street art. Would I enjoy street art being created on the side of one of my buildings that I worked so hard to design? I suppose it is all just perspective and on what grounds the art is being created. Street art is not vandalism, but their are some constraints to it; what medium to express yourself, what location to choose, things of that nature must be taken into account. Street art on the Vatican or on the Kaaba is no longer art but vandalism and disrespectful.

What is art? What makes someone an artist? Banksy says "...maybe art is a bit of a joke" in the latter half of the film, discussing Guettas huge success in his first ever art exhibit held in L.A. If the great Banksy, the infamously unknown street artist says this about the art work Guetta, or Mr. Brainwash as he calls himself in the film, then what does that mean about art period? Is it a joke? Has art come so far that people don't recognize what is considered art and admire virtually anything because of names and recognition and notoriety? Towards the end of the film, we see Guetta develop into a presumptuous and somewhat narcissistic ass (for lack of a better term). One may argue that he didn't really become an ass but rather a self-made genius. Even Banksy struggles with his transformation and questions if he is "a genius" indeed. Guetta tells the reporter questioning him at his grand art opening that he is a modern Andy Warhol. "I don't know who the joke is on really. I don't even know if there is a joke" says Steve Lazarides, a spokesperson for Banksy. He is puzzled at the success and rapid transformation of Guetta from amateur filmmaker to amateur street artist, if he's even allowed to call himself that. The rapid and confusing morphing questions who can call themselves an artist. Shephard calls his morphing "premature" and isn't quite sure if he is considered an artist, yet those thousands of people that lined up for his grand opening kept thanking him and were in awe of his mere presence. Does this mean that artists don't see him as an artist but ordinary buyers do? Art is a form of expressing yourself through a medium with certain materials that impacts those who see it. Guetta just copied the styles of many street artists and made the work meaningless, yet he sold nearly $1 million dollars on his opening night. Is the public confused or have their idea of an artist skewed?

"Artist" Thierry Guetta

The last time I saw street art was in Miami where graffiti, or street art, is rampant. It is part of the culture in Miami. If there is no street art, then what is the point of having white walls scattered in the city. As a matter of fact, there is a designated zone near downtown Miami that is for artists to express themselves. It is called Wynwood and holds so much artistic value on the walls of the buildings within the constraints of the zone. It is popular among Miami citizens and respected for its culture and art movement. The artwork that I have seen in my city is breathtaking and holds value. You can tell the individual who created it wanted to share a message whether it being oppression of certain minority groups or going against a certain political figure in power, or anything that some people from our community can relate to, it is all inspiring. It is nice to know that the artist put thought and meaning to their work. Although I never knew who the artists were, I am glad they created it. It is nice to see art work that is not constrained to a piece of paper or canvas, that it is not constrained to oil or pastel or graphite or charcoal. It is refreshing to see large scale projects that have deeper meaning and are conveyed to the public for everyone to see. THAT is art.

Of course the validity of the film has gone under scrutiny. Is this film a real documentary or just a hoax? The way the camera works on interviewing certain artists or individuals that have associated themselves with Banksy or other artists seem odd, sort of satirical like other mocumentaries in the market. The fact that Guetta by chance lucked out and was able to become close friends with a notorious and unrecognizable artist is fishy. The fact that he traveled the world with Banksy and was the only person ever to record Banksy is fishy. The fact that he took Banksy's word of advice and created art for himself, even becoming HUGE overnight is fishy. The fact that the film goes from first-person perspective of Guettas experience to third-person of him is fishy. So much revolving around this film is curious and makes one think that it is all a master plan developed by Banksy himself to promote street art or to poke fun at art and documentaries; to poke fun at the art world that has taken over modern society. It is hard to believe what is true and what is not with this film, but one thing is certain: it does dive into the world of street art and uncover raw footage of some of the worlds most famous artists and uncover the deeper meaning behind what most would consider "vandalism".