Banksy Film: Exit Through The Gift Shop

As the introduction suggests one is never able to predict Banksy’s next move.

While being aware of his graffiti which started in Bristol and London and soon spread to other parts of the world, it is his ability to deliver the unexpected that makes him so fascinating.

His exploits have included his works appearing in New Orleans (marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina),and  on the Dividing wall between Israel and Palestine;  opening The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, in Manhattan (which turned out to be his first official exhibition in New York);  sneaking his works into displays in the British Museum, the Louvre and various museums in America and even removing hundreds of copies of Paris Hilton’s CD from stores across Britain and replacing them with doctored versions.

The Film

This is not the first time that Banksy has used the phrase “Exit through the Gift shop”. It appeared in his 2009 exhibition at the Bristol museum

The title refers to corporations maximising profits by ensuring maximum sales opportunities. For example going on the rides at  Disneyland will mean being only able to leave by going through the gift shop, and the kids won’t leave without going home with an armful of souvenirs.

The film is not about Banksy, although he is seen (but not his face). It concerns, as the Telegraph review put it, “a cruelly entertaining account of the street artist’s relationship with a wacky super-fan.”

That “fan” is Thierry “Terry” Guetta, a Frenchman living in Los Angeles.  Apparently Guetta was camcorder mad and even used to film his children eating their meals. He became obsessed with graffiti and latched onto several well known graffiti artists such as Shepard Fairey and Invader who agreed to let him film them. Eventually he made the big catch when he was introduced to Banksy in 2006. Banksy put up with the “crazy Frenchman” following him around, thinking that his videos may be of some value.