Honestly I know very little about the world of graffiti and street art (in case anyone cares, my position on this is: it should be legal on public property, private property is prohibited.) But for years I have been fascinated by "culture jamming" , generally defined as an artistic movement which appropriates the tools and government and corporate resources to give them a different meaning, expressing the dissatisfaction and rebellion that we all feel, but not everyone can express. Call it a sort of "graffiti" with social and political awareness, which is not limited to walls, but all media. The film Exit Through the Gift Shop shows how two streams may be combined to form a documentary of uncertain veracity but undeniable impact, both for its message and for its entertainment value. his argument is difficult to describe, so you better paraphrase Banksy, director of the film and famous street artist whose anonymity is as important to his "mystique" as the messages that printed on the left walls of London and many other cities. At the beginning of Exit Through the Gift Shop , the hooded Bansky explains it all started when the eccentric Frenchman Thierry Guetta immigrants tried to do a documentary on the phenomenon of street art, but Guetta was more interesting than the topic itself, so that Banksy decided to make his own documentary the "documentary." Then, like a snake devouring its own tail, Exit Through the Gift Shop reflects the influence of a cultural movement of the artist and vice versa, conjuring a narrative at once informative, inspiring ... and galling.
First Exit time Through the Gift Shop (a phrase that reflects the marketing mischievously art) has a solid look at the street art movement , which differs somewhat from the traditional "graffiti" by using stencils, sculpture and other techniques to capture ephemeral art on walls, floors and other urban areas particularly suited to spread the message of the artist, usually a complaint of social services, government or corporate, or just a flash of humor and wit in the gray urban environment. The narrative leads naturally from the particular (starting with the French artist Space Invader ) to the general (the world-renowned art of Banksy and Shepard Fairey gave further publicity to the movement), and it is fascinating how the clueless Thierry gradually seeps into the lives of artists, making their "performances" illegal documents while all ( ALL) with his trusty video camera.
However, the last half hour introduces an unexpected turn when the same Guetta decide to stop being a spectator and start your own career. What happens next is both touching, amazing and irritating, as observed from a vantage point the eternal conflict between art and commerce, and the blurred line that divides them (sometimes not so vague). In fact, the story is so incredible that justifies the suspicion that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a big joke of Banksy and his cronies ... a bold act of "culture jamming" that led to the Oscars . Personally, I tend to believe that everything was true, and although it is not, the message remains as valid and revealing. Clear that the subject of this documentary might be a bit frivolous, and may seem irrelevant in light of what is currently happening in the world. But its limited scope does not stop to appreciate the narrative talent Banksy, the amazing enthusiasm (and shamelessly) from Thierry Guetta, and the cultural value of the buskers who, with or without permission, try to enlighten us on the hypocrisies of modern life, or just have fun for a while with some attractive image or phrase acute . For now, I will focus more on the trail of these subversive architects when walking down the street.
Rating: 8
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