A Movie Recommendation: "Exit Through The Gift Shop"

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary of pieced together film done by Thierry Guetta, an unknown French filmmaker turned street-artist. The documentary chronicles early days and expeditions of now well-known street artsists, including Banksy and Shepard Fairey.

Banksy caught my interest several years ago and soon after I found myself interested in Obey (or Shepard Fairey), so when I heard about this movie that supposedly would have footage of the artists actually preparing, installing, painting, and developing their art, I was very excited.

Like a kid in a candy shop, I sat there in the offbeat Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs, OH with a smile plastered to my face the entire time. Watching some of the most fascinating artists I've heard of create their art was fabulous. Enjoying camera 'face' time with both Banksy and Fairey was simply joy to me. I enjoyed that in spite of the intimate interviews, Banksy's identity remained anonymous as his face and voice were disguised throughout the film.

What the movie really ended up being about was the filmmaker himself though. Banksy suggests to Thierry, the filmmaker, that he try making art and both Thierry's life and the film begin to spiral in a whole new direction. Thierry takes on an alter ego persona as Mr. Brainwash (or MBW) and begins making art, putting together a gallery show, and becoming quite a character himself. While I didn't necessarily care for the tale of MBW it was great fun watching him work in his studio and work on putting together the gallery for his largescale art show. This part of the film also provided many laughs for the audience as Banksy and Fairey poke a little fun at MBW.

All that being said, I say - go see it! Or even pick it up for your colllection when its out of theatres.

And if you're curious about a few other commentaries (which may spoil your perspective if you haven't seen it), check these out:

"Here's why the Banksy Movie is a Banksy Prank" -Fast Company
"Review" -Gatsby, Flicks

Obey Giant

Last night I went to the the Shepard Fairey / Obey Giant exhibit, "Supply And Demand," at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati and it was fabulous!

To get in early we (myself, my boyfriend, and friends) decided to become CAC Members, which I am very excited about because this means that not only will we for sure come back and see this awesome exhibit again, but it will be a great way to check out new artists throughout the year as the exhibits change! Plus I'm not very familiar with Cincinnati and it's only 1.5 hours away, so it will be nice to get to know the city!

Anyway, so we went in early and I purchased a limited edition print (one of 450) that was signed and numbered! It's the image to the left! During the interview that was occurring live in the building, Shepard Fairey said that the quote on the print was from a Black Flag song ... in case you were curious. :)

The rest of the exhibit was phenomenal, downstairs he had the art layed directly onto the walls and upstairs there were framed prints, original works on canvas, originals from his very early days in the 1980s, and great little snippets of information about why the artist did the different works.

I highly recommend going to this exhibit! Before you do though, I recommend checking out the artist's website: obeygiant.com to familiarize yourself with his work. Also, do a little research if you can find the time.

Here's the super skinny:
You are meant to be alarmed by the things the works say. Obey Giant wants to shock you into thinking for yourself And there's a lot of political commentaries in the works. He's an artist, he can say what he wants. But beyond that, each piece has intention and goals and you should read the little placards because they open the works up into a whole new dimension.