6th
Exit Through the Gift Shop | Film Review
These days anything even loosely associated with the name ‘Banksy’ attracts a furore of attention. His work now fetching hundreds of thousands at auction. For years the identity of this elusive street ‘artist’ has been kept under wraps to the general public, which has only added hype to his work. He represents a medley of contradictions, controversy, satire and showmanship. Serious art critics despise him, Guardian-reading middle England idolise him, though they’d probably be the first to slap an ASBO on the next young ‘artist’ who had a go on their street.
‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ is Banksy’s latest offering, and it’s been launched with his usual style of self-marketing; the premier taking place in a disused tunnel, as opposed to Leicester Square. Probably for no other reason than it looks quite ‘cool’, though deluded art-buffs will probably interpret this as some kind of existential political statement.
The film follows Thierry Guetta, a shop-keeper and film maker, as he follows street artists across LA. Eventually he bumps into Banksy, and documents him as he installs some of his most iconic installations. The tables are turned though, as Guetta returns to LA to open a show of his own, ruthlessly capitalising on the success of artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey, and cashing-in hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.
Rather than just being a documentary about graffiti, the film tells it’s own story. It’s a documentary about a group of people making a documentary. A somewhat confusing concept to explain, but one which makes perfect sense on screen. It manages to shake off some common misconceptions, and has some genuinely funny moments. There’s also a hefty dose of satire, not to mention irony, where anti-capitalist pieces are purchased for ultra-capitalist sums. Banksy’s role in the making of the film is as elusive as he is, but there’s a considerable amount of interview with the man himself, though in silhouette of course, and with his voice disguised.
The documentary is hardly ground-breaking, but it does make fairly compelling viewing. An interesting insight into street art, but if you’re not a fan of that sort of stuff, it’s not going to convert you.
