"Exit Through the Gift Shop"

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

On the surface, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a documentary about a failed documentary. At face value, it is a story about an eccentric, industrious, energetic, and perhaps completely talentless man who yet somehow manages to take the art world by storm. But below this narrative veil, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is really all about art—what it means to make art, what it means to view art, what it means to challenge the definition of art, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist. As it happens, “Exit Through the Gift Shot” is itself a work of art—a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking.

This movie begins and ends with Thierry Guetta, an enigmatic Frenchman who haphazardly transforms himself from an amateur filmmaker and purveyor of overpriced clothing into a controversial street art icon. At the outset—as the owner of a Los Angeles clothing store—Guetta earns a living by selling unremarkable clothes at a remarkable price. In the end—as a street artist named ‘Mr. Brainwash’—Guetta is as entrepreneurial as ever, and even more financially successful. But when the credits roll, what remains unclear is whether art is Geutta’s business, or business his art.

Guetta’s infiltration into the underground art scene is in part the result of an obsession with filming. For Guetta, no moment is too dull, no scene too drab, to be captured on film. Thus, when Guetta discovers that his cousin is a street artist who illegally paints and pastes familiar images of arcade aliens on freeway overpasses, street signs, curbs, etc, he begins to film his cousin’s work as an outlet for his obsession. Conversely, Guetta’s cousin and other street artists find Guetta to be useful as an assistant and lookout guy, and so allow him to tag along, camera in hand.

Over the course of several years, Guetta captures countless street artists on film; yet, one great street artist eludes him: the reclusive British legend, Banksy. Banksy, who is something like the Batman of street art, is famed for his pithy and ingenious artwork at high profile sites in London and around the world. By coincidence, Guetta finally meets Banksy in Los Angeles and manages to earn his trust. Although Banksy refuses to have his true identity revealed on film, he encourages Guetta to turn his video collection into a documentary. Guetta thus begins to edit thousands of hours of unwatched tape in the hopes of making a movie worthy of the great Banksy.

Unfortunately, Guetta’s movie is terrible. It is a buzzing mess. Banksy calls it “unwatchable,” and he realizes that Guetta is more of an obsessive hack than a genuine filmmaker. Nonetheless, Guetta is persistent, and he takes some reserved encouragement from Banksy as a sign that he is destined to be an artist. Guetta consequently adopts the moniker “Mr. Brainwash” and decides to use the clout of his acquaintances in the art community to build up tremendous hype for his own art show. With this show, Guetta seeks the vindication of his artistic abilities. Banksy, on the other hand, maintains that any praise for Guetta’s art says more about the art community (and perhaps more about art) than it does about the quality of Guetta’s work itself.

“Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a complex and beautifully crafted documentary that evokes the kind of thought and discussion that cannot possibly be canvassed here. This film is about a man who is the ultimate audience member; he is the paradigmatic viewer. And yet, this man—Guetta—fails in his attempt to capture the meaning of the art he sees. Interestingly, the creator of “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is none other than Banksy. Thus, the artist becomes the observer—he becomes conscious of his audience; he interprets his audience. In the world of street art—where the relationship between the artist and his or her audience is both critical and dynamic—Banksy has shown that he is capable of taking his craft to the next level, all while remaining anonymous. In making this clever (and hilarious, I might add) film, Banksy has at once become both Batman and the Joker.