Going to watch this movie was a pleasant mistake. I was convinced that Exit Through the Gift Show was the American movie Please Give, which I had seen its trailer and read some positive reviews about it some time ago. However, as the lights of the theater went off, I soon realized that I was about to see another movie. Long time ago, I had come across the actual trailer of Exit Through the Gift Shop and I remember being very interested about it because it was a documentary about street art. I wanted to watch this movie because I have enjoyed urban art, such as break dancing and graffitis, for a long time. I love the rebellious spirit of this underground culture, the ways they go against rules to make critical statements and express themselves through cool paintings.
The documentary took a very interesting turn. It started showing the underground culture of street art. It features a French man, now known as Mr. Brain Wash, who immigrated to LA during the 90s. He loved walking around with his camera, filming barely each inch and minute of his life. He became involved in street art and would film and assist street artists during night as they created their installations and paintings. In the movie, there are well known artists such as Shepherd Fairey, which I had the pleasure of seeing one of his exhibitions in Boston. He is well known for making the world wide famous red and blue poster of Obama’s presidential campaign. It was thus really exciting to see him in action, wondering the streets and walls of LA. In addition, this documentary featured Banksy, a renowned British street artist who has being able to break into places such as the Louver without being caught. Even though during his statements he wore a hood to cover his face and microphones that distorted his voice, it was great to “see” this talented artist that has stayed in the shadows throughout his career.
Apart from featuring such well-known artists, I thought it was a successful documentary because it made a strong statement about the lack of critical thinking in our society. It showed how this French man, who is no more than a good businessman with a great sense of smell for money, was able to make about a million dollars from the trendy and hipster people that live in LA. He called himself an artist, contracted a large group of builders and graphic designers, and gave them tasks to alter some paintings and posters. Such posters, which seemed copycats of other pop artists, were sold for thousands of dollars. It is sad to see that also this urban artistic expressions have entered the capitalist world, which is only ruled by money and meaningless trends.
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