He may wear a hoodie, wield a can of spray paint and use any wall he pleases as a canvas, but British street artist Banksy – an alias used to protect his top-secret identity – is well on his way to joining the ranks of Duchamp, Picasso and Warhol. But just try telling that to the police…
As with all trailblazing artistic movements, street art has sparked hot debate as to its legitimacy, many considering it to be nothing more than mindless vandalism. But whatever your stance, Banksy’s stellar documentary (or elaborate mockumentary?) Exit Through the Gift Shop is not to be missed, shedding light on the age-old question of “what is art?” in a way that never ceases to entertain.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this funny, thrilling and provocative film is that it’s hardly the glowing piece of propaganda for street art as you’d expect. What began as a humble project to document an art form that, by nature of its illegality, doesn’t last forever, suddenly transformed into a fascinating critique of the consumerist nature of the arts industry (hence the title, which refers to the common money-making ploy used in theme parks to divert traffic through the gift shop in order to provoke sales). As if by accident, this film explores the cultural and monetary value of art, exposing the exceptionally fine line that exists between an avant-garde artist and a copycat sell-out.
It should be known that this film is less about Banksy – whose face only ever appears in shadows, voice digitally muffled – and more about an eccentric, mutton-chopped French-American named Thierry Guetta. Conveniently inseparable from his video camera, Guetta stumbles upon the world of street art by means of his cousin, a graffiti artist who goes by the pseudonym Space Invader. Propelled by his childlike enthusiasm (or perhaps just idiocy), Guetta makes a hobby out of filming Invader as he takes to the streets of LA and Paris by night, climbing over fences and onto rooftops in order to place his stencilled artworks in high-visibility locations. Over the next couple of years, Guetta gradually works his way into the inner-circle of the artistic movement, filming dozens of prominent street artists at work all around the world – including Shepherd Fairly, Borf, Ron English and Sweet Toof among others– eventually leading him to the notoriously camera-shy Banksy.
Guetta’s camerawork might be distractingly amateur at times, but because he seldom stops filming, his gargantuan database of footage provides us with unparalleled insight into the gifted street art icon, particularly the extreme lengths he goes to in order to get his work out in the public eye. The most daring of these sees Banksy attempt to erect a blow-up doll of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner within Disneyland, a place famously known as ‘the happiest place on Earth’. His exploits effectively shut down the park and lead to Guetta being arrested by security. This sequence, like so many in Exit through the Gift Shop, is exhilarating in the way it places us right in the middle of the law-defying action. It’s a pure adrenaline rush.
Despite having shot hundreds of hours of fascinating footage, it is revealed that Guetta had no intention of making it into a film. He’s not a documentary filmmaker, merely a compulsive filmer. Guetta never once reviews his footage, instead letting it collect dust in boxes upon boxes of unorganised and often unlabelled tapes. It’s implied that this is where Banksy stepped in as director, taking the tapes off of Guetta and turning it into the film we see before us. One should not discount editor Chris King, who deserves just as much credit for piecing the hundreds of hours into something as compelling as it is cohesive.
In the film’s most fascinating deviation, Banksy decides to turn the cameras on Guetta as he endeavours to become a street artist himself. Going by the street name Mr. Brainwash, Guetta works tirelessly towards his own art show, yet his output vastly exceeding his originality. It doesn’t take long for Guetta to become drunk on his desire to be a famous artist and, ultimately, to make buckets of money. Bearing witness to the debauched transformation of his character is nothing less than tragic; akin to watching Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader. It’s made worse by his eventual success in the commercial art word, attesting to the fact that anyone, talented or not, can become an illustrious artist so long as they know how to harness mainstream media.
But here’s the catch: Exit Through the Gift Shop might just be Banksy’s biggest and best stunt yet. Despite being presented as a factual documentary, there are many who believe aspects of the film – namely Thierry Guetta’s alias Mr. Brainwash and his exhibition ‘Life is Beautiful’ – to be yet another Banksy creation; an elaborate ruse to further illustrate just how ambiguous the nature and veracity of art can be. While I personally believe that this is a case of fact being stranger than fiction, it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether it’s genuine or fabricated, much like whether you believe street art is a legitimate movement or just fragrant vandalism. But be it documentary or mockumentary, art or graffiti, there’s no denying that Exit Through the Gift Shop is premier cinema.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is in select cinemas across Australia on June 3rd, 2010. Click here for session details.
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