Review - Exit Through The Gift Shop

(F)art To The People...

When I think of street art, I think rebellion, vandalism, maybe even immaturity. So when I popped in Exit Through The Gift Shop, an Oscar nominated documentary by renowned street artist Banksy, I expected a sermon on the freedom of expression and a song of praise in honour of the creative, free spirited graffiti artists worldwide. Though in part this film does indeed document art by some of the most famous street artists and presents the artists in their most appealing moments (when letting loose their art for the world to see), the true gem of Exit Through The Gift Shop is the unexpected story of the recorder of some of its raw footage. In hindsight, I probably should have seen the writing on the wall...

Story:

The documentary begins with the story of a man that will soon become its main focus, Thierry Guetta. Obsessed with his video camera, Thierry films everything in sight, including the art work of his cousin. Turns out his cousin his Space Invader, one of the frontrunners of the world street art scene. One thing leads to another, and soon Thierry is exclusively filming street artists create and setup their art pieces. He climbs up rickety roofs, crouches on dark balconies, and hangs off windows to actively participate in the art creation. The artists in turn are part bemused and part interested in having their work documented (and as one points out, it's always useful to have a lookout). His persistence and reputation in the street art community leads Thierry to Banksy, already then an artist of much repute for his work on the streets of London. On Banksy's request, Thierry puts together a documentary of all his footage. One look at the schizophrenic collage of moving images and screeching noises, and Banksy knows Thierry isn't the man for the job. He encourages him instead to pick up art; this is something Banksy later reveals is a piece of advice he used to give everyone. Except, Thierry took this advice to heart. What follows is an evolution of Thierry from aspiring filmmaker to street arthusiast, and finally an artist with the most hotly awaited gallery opening in the city. And all this happens in six months.

Review:

Banksy clearly knows he has a winner of a story to tell here (fiction or not is unclear and, frankly, irrelevant to me), and thus takes his time unfolding the series of extraordinary events. This cool, laid back flow to the film makes it a little slow in the beginning; though this lack in pace is more than made up for by various montages of clever pieces of street art work around the world.

The film's view on Thierry is quite neutral, a feat that must have been hard to pull off. There are quotes from artists and employees calling him crazy, but some of these people are also visibly fascinated by his dedication to the art. Thierry himself is a character that appears to swing from wildly deluded to fiercely passionate. I found myself at first dismissing him as a man with a camera and too much time on his hands, but then sitting up to witness his transformation into a LA weekly cover story.

But, overall, the most compelling and interesting point made by the film is that there's no point in trying to answer the question, "What is art?". Some of the artists were upset with Thierry trying to take a shortcut to become an artist; others take his success to be a reflection on art and its patrons themselves. But no one can really explain his phenomenal success, and as Banksy says towards the end of the film, maybe he's genius, or maybe art itself is a joke. By freeing itself from the burden of having to defend the authenticity of an artist or the credibility of his work, the film ends on a strangely contemplative note, leaving it up to the audience to decide who they choose to hail as the artist. My feelings about Exit Through The Gift Shop were summed up best by a quote from the film: "I'm not quite sure what I'm here for, but I'm excited about it."

Rating: