This Documentary was originally supposed to be created by a French man named Theirry. He seemed to be mentally unstable as he carried a video camera literally EVERYWHERE he went. When Terry saw his younger brother starting to partake in creating street art the man became very interested with it. In fact, Terry’s interest went beyond normal and turned into an obsession. Before long Terry is traveling all over the world to meet and film famous street artists like Shepard Fairey who is well known for his OBEY propaganda. One of the most well known and secretive street artist out there, Banksy even allowed Thierry to help and film him. In return Thierry promised to make an amazing documentary using all of the film he collected.
Throughout the film I learned that street art was more than just a prank. The artists who created this work poured their heart and soul into it. It was not about the money but about the message. Although some of Banky’s pieces were sold for over $500,000! It was clear that he was not after the money at all. Each artist thought up the idea and then had to create it! They made prints on large papers, make stickers and perhaps the trickiest part was they had to put the work up on a building or some other public place without getting caught by the police! Street artists are rebels and I think the fact that it is illegal just adds to the overall excitement of the process. Most of the work is abstract, creative, in your face and sometimes rude. That is what street art is all about. It forces the public to take notice because it is right in front of them! It sends a message to the public, about the artist’s opinions and that is the whole point.
After video taping for a ridiculously long time, the street artists began to wonder if Theirry would ever put together that documentary. The man had not even watched any of his footage. Theirry then decided to try and make his own street art. He hired a crew and created a humongous exhibit where he planned to show off his work. Banksy and Fairey even agreed to promote it on their websites. When the show went off it was literally GIANT! It featured a lot of Theirry (who went by the street artist name Mister Brainwash a.k.a. MBW). The public ate it up, they enjoyed his art creations.
The problem with MBW work is that he is not a real street artist! Most street artists spend years creating work, finding there own unique style and working their way up from the bottom. Most don’t make any money at all for a long time, and as I said before money is NOT the focus. In Mister Brainwash’s case he started with a huge exhibit, that was quickly put together. He only copied the work of other’s he never found his own style and he sold his work for a lot of money. He went against the meaning of street art and completely missed the whole point of it. He may have created a lot of art that resembles other famous street art but there is no deeper meaning behind it.
At the end of the film Banksy talked about how he was unhappy with the way that Mister Brainwash did things. That is the reason why he turned around the documentary that was supposed to be about him and made it about Theirry. Banksy was torn because he felt that Mister Brainwash broke the rules, but at the same time street art was not supposed to have any rules. I agree with Banksy, Theirry was a leech. He followed famous street artists around for years, he abandoned his family, he hired people to create his work (that was really just copying other’s styles) and he launched a huge exhibit before he proved himself like everyone else. Mister Brainwash is NOT a real street artist; he is a disgrace to street artists. Banksy stated at the end of the film, “That he will never again help anyone make a documentary about street art.” If I were Banksy, I would probably say the same thing.
Despite Theirry’s sad attempt at “art” I enjoyed watching this documentary and I learned a lot about street art. The next time I see street art on the side of a building or on a billboard, I will take the time to really look at it, admire the hardwork that went into creating it and even snap a picture before it is gone. I will never look at it the same way again and I have a lot of respect for the real street artist’s out there. If you want to see the documentary for yourself, it is all on youtube! Watch Exit through the Gift Shop now!
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