Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop

As I watched Exit through the Gift Shop for the first time, I was expecting to learn and examine the mystery of the famous street artist named Banksy. After watching the film, not only was I fascinated with the mystery of Banksy, but I also created many questions and concerns about the aspects in the movie. The film has many transitions that open up many different perspectives about the mystery of this story. One very specific thought that absorbs my full attention after watching Exit though the Gift Shop is the question, ‘What is art?’. Everyone defines Art differently, but I would say that Art is original, unique, and beautiful in any kind of way. Art is term that people use when they do believe it is a piece of art or something special.

The film revealed Guetta’s Art and all of his pieces of work are not original. Guetta used other ideas ands methods, originally from other successful street artists, to create similar works of Art and call the Art his own. One of Guetta’s works of art that I noticed was not originally his at all is the Campbell’s Tomato Spray Can. Banksy’s Art is clearly one of a kind because of people’s reactions on how unique and attention-grabbing the Art is. Guetta also invested in a studio, high quality screen-printing equipment, and full staff of workers to create his Art. The film never shows Guetta creating the Art himself, except when he spray paints a row of posters and a brick wall. Guetta records Banksy in the film literally sketching, cutting and taping pieces to create a piece of street Art that pictured a Rat. Towards the end of the story, the film shows how successful and admirable Guetta’s Art came to be because of the showcase packed with buyers that helped sell Guetta’s Art for very expensive prices. An aspect in Guetta’s process of creating his showcase is fascinating to me because Guetta was very focused on promoting the showcase by creating posters for entry, gathering quotes from other popular street artists, and not as concerned with where his pieces of Art would be placed in the rooms for the showcase. Seeing Banksy in the film simply going out in the middle of the night just so he will not be seen, to post his creativity on the walls in specific places, shows a signifigant difference between each street artists and how Art is shown. Banksy’s Art and Guetta’s Art are created, shown, and creditable in dissimilar ways, but are both very successful in street