street smart

we caught banksy's new documentary film, exit through

the gift shop last night at the rafael film center in san rafael.

simply put, it chronicles the recent past of thierry guetta,

his entree into the world of street art and transformation

into mr. brainwash. the film touches on undirected obsession,

notions of high and low art, commodification of expression

and monetized worth as dictated through the art world.

one highlight of the film is in the conceptual chasm between

the work of banksy and mr. brainwash; it's like the difference

between adbusters and star magazines. they both have their

dedicated audiences: one has an original, thought-provoking

viewpoint and the other is nearly mindless entertainment,

offering very little challenge to the status quo, yet has

mastered the art of perpetuating the hype we seek.

we highly recommend this documentary! it is inspiring, witty

and a great commentary on both the art world and the

creative process.

for more on banksy's pranks, checkout this flavorwire piece.