Exit Through the Gift Shop

I liked this documentary better the first time I saw it. It's well shot and has great editing, which makes any documentary. It isn't to overly message heavy like Food Inc or a Michael Moore documentary. The lens through which we view Thierry, street art and the world is skewed by Banksy but I kinda like that. It's art for art's sake through the eyes of an artist. It was nominated for the Best Documentary of the year so I think it was affective, successful and entertaining.
Mr. Brainwash is using techniques very similar to other street artists, like Shepard Fairey, Banksy and Space Invader. MBW does stencils, stickers and wheat paste posters just like his friends who he filmed. He is different from say, Banksy because his street art has zero message. MBW only promotes himself through his “art.” It’s really a shame because art is the transfer of emotion from one person to another. MBW’s street art has no transfer of emotion because it provokes no emotions. Shepard Fairey used the power of repetition of his ‘Andre the Giant has a posse’ sticker to create many emotions. MBW’s tag is just a giant picture of himself filming. People may be curious and ask, “who is that guy?” Other than raising that question, I think MBW’s street art does not stand up to that of his subjects.

I found it interesting that MBW’s cousin Space Invader chose not to speak to him after the film. Space Invader has an artistic style that is similar to Thierry’s because he uses images from pop culture. The difference between the two is there intentions. Space Invader was sincere and doing his characters because it was art, it was a means for him to express himself and do something new. MBW did street art to get personal fame and monetary gain. Thierry is just a follower of Banksy, who told him, “hey, go out and make some art.”

Banksy being anonymous makes everything he does more powerful and puts him on a pedestal. Every time Banksy tags a famous English memorial, or makes some provocative statement you wonder. Because his true identity is unknown his motives are questioned constantly. Is he an art terrorist? Is he an artist at all? Does he support the labour or conservative parties? I read a few articles from the BBC about reactions to Banksy and everyone seems to have an answer. His anonymity creates a cult of personality around him. The unknown intrigues and Banksy is like art’s black hole.

MBW is the product of good promotion and viral marketing. Without the Internet and especially the LA magazines, MBW’s first show would have been a flop. I think it should have been a flop because it is so obvious how MBW stole styles from Warhol, Banksy and Shepard Fairey. He is the art world’s Weird Al Yankovich; he makes parodies that some people buy into. In the film, I found it funny how MBW took Fairey and Banksy’s quotes and blew them up on banners. That is one hell of a way to use your connections to your advantage. Banksy said MBW is an enigma: I think he was right.

I dislike reality television. The first time I watched Exit through the Gift Shop I took it for face value, believing the story of Thierry Guetta and Banksy. Now, my second time through I’m skeptical. Unlike “reality” television, I’m not buying everything they are selling. I’m not even sure if Thierry Guetta is a real person, or an actor paid by the true street artists. Back to reality TV: this documentary needed much more meaningless conflict for it to be like a Real World episode. The more I read, the more times I watch the documentary the less I’m truly sure about the whole thing.

MBW is not legitimate. He manipulated the art buyers like the fashion forward, who bought his cheap clothing for 4x price.

We have discussed voyeurism in my Capping class last semester and again this semester in this course. Since Facebook runs our lives I have to agree that voyeurism, the ability to watch from a safe distance with emotional detachment is relevant to street art. See my last post on my blog. It is a piece of street art made by Banksy, which says, “One Nation under CCTV.” Surveillance is a strong theme in street art, and in the counter-culture altogether. Because their artistic medium is technically illegal, fearing “the man” or the government is logical. It’s also a way for the artists to get skeptics on board.

Thierry's filming of everything seems to be an attempt to fill a void. Although the film explains why he does it, I'm not sure if I buy it. His real family could be at his house in LA, even in some of the shots and we would not know the difference. Thierry wasn't famous before filming except possibly in some small, artsy fashion circles. He just sold vintage clothes so I doubt he was famous. His family supposedly is back in France. His mom died and because he was the youngest, they kept a lot of information about her death from him. Again, I don't buy this. He still has siblings and his father to take care of him so I don't see why he was bounced around his extended family, like a foster child.

Back to the art. The legal gray area of street art empowers it. When there's controversy, people are drawn to it. For example, Banksy sprays political images like two bobbies kissing, or 'designated riot area' on a London public square. These pieces of art being illegal make them seem more edgy, more provocative.I had a friend who was a tri-state area street artist and because of being arrested multiple times and going to jail, he now makes his art on canvas. The danger of sneaking into buildings and onto rooftops can be too much for some artists. However, getting your art in the public eye with the world as your canvas can certainly empower it. Graffiti has always been a blessing in disguise. Although states pay to paint over it, it gives neighborhoods identity. On the other hand it can be gang related, which is very dangerous. I like that the street artists are spray painting images that can be seen as art and not just gang tags or graffiti. Either way, it being illegal makes it have a more 'bad ass' affect.

TPS Report

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Illustrator Trace

I took a street art image from the world renowned Banksy. I used the 16 color trace tool and modified it to show more colors, so the wall that the graffiti was written upon looks better and deeper.

Illustrator Recreation Image

The image I chose to recreate is called 'Rain,' by ~brade-s from www.deviantart.com

I found the image under the all time most-downloaded vector images. If you are ever looking for any sort of art online, deviantart is a great place to find it. The library of art on the site is too big to possibly browse.

As you can see my recreation is not exactly like the original. I hand drew the cloud which lead to me not being able to use fill to make it white. Therefore, I used the calligraphic pen tool to color it white. I added the outer glow affect to make it look like the original; I tweaked the settings of the outer glow affect to get it exactly how I wanted it.