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| This Banksy image could be seen from New York's Wall Street, it was put up during America's financial collapse of 2008. |
Exit Through the Gift Shop is authentic documentary (non-fictional) footage, used to create a fictional story by Banksy, that exposes a non-fictional truth about the art industry at large. This film focuses on authenticity, and if the formula of being authentic can be determined, it can be used to gain popularity and capital. In the film, amongst many well known street artists, we are introduced to Thierry Guetta.
Thierry lacks authenticity; he is not a fashionista, he is not a street artist, but he becomes L.A.'s next big art hype. Thierry is from France, is related to a very well known street artist, and knows enough of the formula to capitalize on those prepared to shell out a few bucks for what's hot. The most authentic thing about Thierry is that he carries a video camera around and captures footage of everything around him, including the here-today-gone-tomorrow street art of his brother and then later Shepard Fairey and Banksy. Thierry also proves to only be a camera man with a talent of keeping the camera running,,, when it comes to editing and producing a coherent film he fails.
In this film it is hard to determine what is documentary and what is silver screen fiction. Did Thierry and Banksy really have the awkward falling out we saw after handing over his footage? Or are they good friends and the fallout was created for the setup of the message of the film? We may never know and it doesn't actually matter. What matters is that Thierry's manufactured street art show brought in 1 million dollars in one night, and was asked to remain open for weeks longer than the original 3 days it was scheduled for. The hip art community of L.A. was fooled and fell in love with the same unauthentic junk Thierry sold them a decade before with an inflated price tag.
Exit Through the Gift Shop exposes a lack of authenticity in our current culture. From fake fashion clothing with a high price tag, to Disneyland's fake adventure and experience for our young,,, all the way to creating an art hype out of someone who only knows an artist about as well as we all know Andy Warhol, but is not actually an artist himself.
Banksy is supreme authenticity; however you might ask, why did Banksy hold an art exhibition in similar fashion to the one Thierry held? The elephant in the room is when you remove Banksy's art from the wall in West Bank during a troubled time and sell it in an art gallery. Calling Banksy a street artist and leaving it at that misses the point of Banksy completely. Banksy is a street activist who uses art, time and space as his medium; remove this art from it's time and space and you are actually left with nothing of value. In fact I would argue that the most authentic items in our culture are probably priceless, and hence if you are being sold something you think is authentic you should most likely close your coin purse.
This film is the perfect massconception. For further information read the book Authenticity, or read Adbusters. And if you bought something by Mr. Brainwash, I hope you are aware, enough prints were made so everyone in the world could own one,,, so you better love it. "I have an Andy Warhol, but I think it's in the closet?"
