I'd gotten the wrong end of the stick about the documentary, Exit Through The Gift Shop. I was under the impression it would chart the rise and rise of notorious, Bristol based street artist Banksy...but that's not the case. Although it's assembled by Banksy, it's about French shopkeeper Thierry Guetta who focused his obsessive-compulsive need to film EVERYTHING into the subject of street art...which covers everything from commonplace graffiti to street installations...most of which are unauthorised and illegal. As we follow Thierry, from his acceptance by the big names in worldwide street art to the big man, Banksy himself, we see him get more seduced by the 'art' world, finally seeing the tables reversed as he becomes street artist Mr Brainwash.
The documentary is insightful into the rarely documented world of street art, a glimpse behind the thoughts and working practices of the legendary Banksy himself (constantly hooded, face and voice obscured) as we see how his graffiti is prepared and pranks that didn't quite work out. It's funny, cheeky and gives you a feeling of the fun and seriousness of this branch of the art world.
AS Thierry's work is prepared for a massive L.A. show, the documentaries themes come to the fore? Is 'street art' proper art? What is good art and what isn't? If you're an anti-authoritarian artist and culture uncontrollably enters you into the mainstream...have you sold out? And what is a reasonable price for an artist's work? Is art pretentious and an essential part of our culture or is it just a big load of bollocks that shouldn't be taken seriously? At once, this quirky and likable movie both shows the art world exposed and gently mocks it too.
Is Thierry's story 100% true or is this all another Banksy piece of art. I'm not sure, but like all Banksy's other stuff, it's bloody enjoyable and has a lot to say.
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