“Exit Through the Gift Shop” by Banksy Movie Review

People are already used to seeing the pieces of street art in the streets of their cities. Somebody likes these unique representations, others assume that they could not be compared to art, instead they are convinced that these are acts of vandalism, which should be punished according to the law. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a film directed by Banksy. This is a story about a French man – Thierry Guetta, who lives in America and is fond of graffiti and street art. The film is made up of series of videos, made by Guetta, when he traveled to various parts of Europe and America. Initially Thierry Guetta was interested in just observing the examples of street art, later he became so much involved into it that decided to try producing street art himself, taking the nickname Mr. Brainwash. By this moment of time he had enough knowledge and experience in order to transform his street art into a real show, bringing money. The more generalized central idea of the film is related to the meaning of the street art and its perception by different people; in addition the author wants to explore the relations between commercialized street art and its authenticity. Thus, the question is – what is art? Is this a pure self- realization of the artist and his inside world, or should it be produced with consideration of the mass perception and actual needs of the society, which is the first step towards commercialization and maybe loss of its authenticity?

Banksy did not take care of gaining popularity with the help of his street works; neither did he use his art as a form of earning money. Mr. Brainwash treats street art differently and it is commented by Banksy in the following way: “Warhol repeated iconic images until they became meaningless, but there was still something iconic about them. Thierry really makes them meaningless.” (Banksy 2010). Banksy states that Mr. Brainwash has a different perception of street art and fails to include that much meaning into his works, as other street artists do. He has the aim not to simply express his ideas and transmit his messages to the audience; instead he has a clear goal of becoming famous as a street artist and let this fame become business for him. The situation is full of controversies and ambiguity. Thierry in his turn is convinced that he is a good artist and he is able to become successful in the sphere, which he likes, as he assumes that it is possible to commercialize art without distorting of its meaning. The film does not provide the concrete answer to the question about art authenticity. Certain degree of uncertainty remains till the end of the film and is vividly expressed in the words of Steve Lazarides: “I think the joke is on… I don’t know who the joke’s on – really. I don’t even know if there is a joke.” (Banksy 2010).

The concept of authenticity is not new, it was debated decades ago and most of the researchers concluded that authenticity should not be seen as a relation of one to the other, instead, it is a self-reference concept. Modern culture is believed to highly praise authenticity, which is understood as a unique combination of familiar traditions and something absolutely original. Actually the whole film by Banksy is a debate about the concept of art authenticity. Banksy wanted to confront his understanding of the concept of authenticity in street art towards labeling of it as “vandalism”.

Overall, Exit Through the Gift Shop is an influential film, it makes the audience reconsider a lot of important aspects of culture in general and modern culture in particular. Revealing the details about the lives of the street artists, about their searching for authenticity via their self-expressions and their unique styles, the author lets the audience penetrate into a different world and treat the things from a different perspective.

Works cited:

Banksy,  Rhys Ifans, and Shepard Fairey. Exit Through the Gift Shop. United States: Mongrel, 2010.

Ng, David. Street artist Thierry Guetta faces copyright infringement suit. Culture Monster, March 10, 2011 

14 Great Banksy Street Art Photos and Quotes! Street Art Utopia, 2011

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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