Trailer, Exit through the Gift Shop, 2010
Exit Through The Giftshop-Available on Netflix or via streaming at http://www.putlocker.com/file/5DBAD0585A3B48EE#
[Author: Thomas Dragani]
The
Politics of Banksy
Though it
is quite the nature of modern day Street Art to be Anarchic in the way that it
defies established laws and authority, the English graffiti artist known
popularly as Banksy, very much focuses his pieces on making a political
statement. Many of Banksy’s works not only appear in defacement of government
buildings, but his scenes often depict authority figures (politicians, police,
military men) in lampooned and compromising positions. One of the more famous
pieces of street art attributed to the phantom artist is a pigtailed girl
vandalizing an already defaced wall that suggests telling a lie enough times
causes it to become truth, after which she changes ‘truth’ to ‘politics.’ Often
times, power figures are seen as aggressive towards the helpless and
defenseless, but other times, even the ideals of peace and love can clash with
each other in what is supposed to be Banksy’s work. And though these are
radical images and ideas to comprehend, perhaps this clouds the artist’s true political
voice, and instead leaves it open for social interpretation. No doubt two
protesters seemingly fighting for peace and love, but rather fighting each
other, says something about the ways in which social activists, and individual
politics can clash with the best of intentions. If anything is true, it’s that
Banksy is in it for the shock value, as so many of the anarchist, political, and
radical artists of old were, to mirror the subversive things about society many
may chose to ignore. Back then, they had their canvas and their “salon des
refuses;” Banksy has his walls and the world as his gallery and there’s no
doubt his pieces call into question the way we look at the world and our place
in it, through aesthetics, and surprisingly, the continued illegality of street
art.
The
Criminality of Street Art
Still,
Banksy also does simple street art projects that are often times not obviously
politically or socially motivated, and yet, still illegal, though the debate
rages about whether or not street art is a crime or actual art. We know from
the course, that a similar debate was had when we first started to see art
break away from the traditional methods, forms, and subjects. Banksy is just
another in this long succession of artists defying convention, but street art
drives an even finer line, for the medium is not owned by the artist themselves,
and it begs the question is it any less criminal than simple graffiti. Street
art, very unlike plain graffiti, carries with it a strong sense of activism and
subversion, which, in his works, Banksy melds perfectly. The legal teams look
to try and classify street art into a certain group of crime, but that’s what
makes the art form so anarchic, is that it cannot be classified, and moreover,
most of which street art subverts (rampant authority, inequalities and
injustices) are them selves criminal. So is it a case of one crime existing to
replace another? This can be considered by a very many as anarchic. But Banksy
himself, almost unsurprisingly states that the goals of the street artist are
harmless and much like those who seek to protect us. “Some people become
cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become
vandals be-cause they want to make the world a better looking place.” (Alpaslan 2012) Though street art
continues to be a punishable crime
if caught, the consensus is that it does not fit the traditional framework of
crime, making it successfully subversive and anarchic.
Bibliography
Alpaslan, Zeynep. “Is Street Art a Crime? An Attempt at
Examining Street Art Using Criminology.” Advances
in Applied Sociology 2.1 (2012): 53-58. PDF.
Banksy.
Website.
April 19, 2012. http://www.banksy.co.uk/index.html
Banksy. Wall and
Piece. London: Random House, 2005. Print.
Collins, Lauren. “Banksy Was Here: The invisible man of
graffiti art.” The New Yorker. Condé
Nast, 14 May 2007. Web. 23 May 2012.
•Link to scholarly paper: http://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2267&context=td
•Link to New Yorker article: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/14/070514fa_fact_collins?currentPage=all
[Author: Brendan Murray]
“A
Force of Nature”
Exit
Through the Gift Shop is the epitome and truly anarchic realization
of life imitating art seen through Vivian in Oscar Wilde’s “The Decay of Lying”.
Mr. Brainwash/Guetta was not an artist, and had no real desire to be one. He
stumbled upon the burgeoning street art movement purely by mistake, and begins
to film some of the biggest names in street art, for a supposed documentary. After
Guetta’s inital film is deemed unwatchable, the project switches gears. Despite
having no reputation or experience in the art world he decides to show his own
newly begun street art in a gargantuan exhibition that he has no place in. He
doesn’t want to disappoint Banksy, an idea that is repeated often in the movie.
This show ends up drawing massive media attention and thousands of visitors on
the first day alone. The character and fallout of Mr. Brainwash/ Guetta becomes
so large that Banksy then takes some of this footage, as well as new
footage/interviews shot in conjunction with the exhibit, and makes Exit Through The Gift Shop, with Guetta
as its main subject. The film was a view of
Guetta’s life imitating and becoming his art.
The film also brings to mind Wilde’s preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray in which he
clarifies distinction of the creator of art from its subject. Banky’s film
causes massive speculation that brings this idea into question once again.
Because Banksy is never actually identified and his voice is disguised,
questions arise about his relationship to Guetta/Mr. Brainwash, and whether
they are the same person, with many believing the film is all a hoax. There are
also questions surrounding the veracity of Guetta’s persona as an obsessive,
almost insane individual. All parties echo that the film is not a hoax, that
Guetta and Banksy are, in fact, separate people, but there is no real way to
discern this. Banksy has still yet to reveal his identity, due to the fact that
his art is often in what he calls a “legal gray area”. These two anarchic
constructs, the imitation of art by life, and the “hoax” rumors, along with a
fascinating duo in Banksy and Guetta, make this a fascinating documentary.
Scholarly
Material
An article found through Google
Scholar to an essay that explores the film and its ties to authenticity.
Links
for Further Exploration
The website for acclaimed
street artist and director of Exit
Through The Gift Shop. Features his own street art and his thoughts on some
questions he is frequently asked
The website for Thierry
Guetta/Mr. Brainwash, featuring his art, video clips, and his own archives
Archival
Material
 |
| “Banksy” image-An example of Banksy’s street art, accessed via his website. |
 |
| “Brainwash” image- An example of Mr. Brainwash’s art, shown at his exhibiton “Life is Beautiful” profiled in Exit Through the Gift Shop |
· Bibliogrophy
for Further Research
Ebert, Roger. "Exit Through The
Gift Shop." Weblog post. Rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun Times, 28 Apr.
2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100428/REVIEWS/100429978>.
· A review of the film by Roger Ebert,
famous Chigao Sun-Times critic. Also explores the idea of a hoax and the value
of graffiti or street art as "Art"
"Exit Through The Gift
Shop-IMDB." IMBD. Web. 22 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587707/>.
· A synthesis of information on the
film including cast, production details, reviews, and quotes.
"Exit Through The Gift
Shop-Rotten Tomatoes." Rottentomatoes.com. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.
· A review site that contains
information on the film and links to reviews from major critics as well as
trailers and fan reviews.
FRC. "News." Exit
Through The Gift Shop: A Banksy Film (2010) FrontRoomCinema.
Frontroomcinema.com. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.frontroomcinema.com/exit-gift-shop-banksy-film-2010-review/>.
· A review of the film that explores
the idea of the film as life imitating art.
Ryzik, Melena. "New Doubts for a
Film That Has Truth Issues." New York Times. 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 20
Apr. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/movies/awardsseason/06bagger.html>.
· This article explores the role
Joachim Levy had on the initial project "Life Remote Control",
Guetta's project that was deemed unwatchable, and what he is owed. Also touches
on the idea that the movie may or may not be a hoax
Ryzik, Melena. "Riddle? Yes.
Enigma? Sure. Documentary?" New York Times. 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 19
Apr. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/movies/14banksy.html>.
·
This
article explores whether the movie, and its depiction of Guetta as an
obsessive, almost insane individual is authentic, a commentary on the
authentic, a complete fabrication, or some combination of these. It also looks
into whether Guetta could be the actual Banksy, whose face is never shown in
the video, and this is all another piece of elaborate art.
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