Exit Through the Giftshop

In the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop, the movie portrays an artist and his own vision of art which happens to be street art. The documentary shows the artist Thierry Guetta who was a french man who had immigrated from france since the early 1980's. He owned his own Bohemian clothing shop which he did rather well in. He never went anywhere without a video camera and claimed he could never let it down and decribed it as an obsession. When he picks up the camera he finds that he must film everything and even had a camera set up in his own home. In 1999 on a family holiday to france he discovered something that sent his dicoveries in a new direction. His cousin Vector who was an international street artist. Street art was blowing up in today's culture Thierry decides to follow his cousin in his work as well as his friends filming his art work.

Thierry mentions in the video that he can really see a gallery discovered in the future of his cousins work. Invader decides to visit Thierry in LA and arranges a meeting with Shepard Fairey and continues to film his work even after his cousin has left for France. Thierry mentions that he wishes that he could film other artists but doesnt decide to make a film. Guetta then decided he wanted to hear about the artist Banksy who was a secreative artist and masked his voice and his appearence in the film. Thierry wanted to meet the famous artist but was refused in entering the United States. Banksy decides to contact Fairey. Fairey then contacts Thierry who tells him about Banksy's stay in town and becomes his tour guide throughout LA eventually following him back to England. Thierry was able to film the artist and have the oppourtinunity to film his street art. Over time and constant filming of Banksy's art, the two become friends. Soon enough Thierry had to return to La and became and soon started to produce his own work of art of stickers and decals placing them all over the city of LA.

Banksy had a show that is being prepared in LA and had an idea to develop a doll and put it in Disneyland. Thierry decides to film Banksy taking the trip to the location where the doll is located. The parks security system catches them and soon Guetta is taken into questioning while Banksy changes clothes and blends into the crowd of people. Thierry does not admit to doing anything wrong and decides to destory any evidence in his camera that he prevousily had filmed. He managed to secretly put the video tape in his sock and was let go. Later on the film Barely Legal opens and becomes a huge over night sucess and street art prices sky rocketed in auction houses which surprised Banksy. Thierry after seeing the success of the video, decides to edit all the footage of his fim called Life Remote Control. Thierry final product wound up being 90 minutes long. To keep Banksy occupied he suggested that Thierry make is own art show and Theirry did just that and his nickname become Mr.Brainwash. He put up street art all around the city and months later created his business. He rents a CBS studio to prepare for his first show called Life is Beautiful. This production was on a much larger scale but unfortunatly Thierry breaks his leg falling off a ladder. Banksy helped Thierry out by getting professionals to help him while Thierry spends more time on the publicity aspect eventually making billboards with quotes and wound up on the cover of LA weekly. Shortly before opening, painting are missing from the walls and the crew decides to take over of the overall layout.

Even though preperation was very stressful the show wound up becoming a huge success and after a week Thierry sells over a million dollars of art work and his pieces wound up showing over all over the world. Thierry beleives that his artwork will shine through as time goes on.