Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the most random films I have ever seen. But I guess that is one of the things that makes art special: oddness. The artist Thiery is the main character which in my opinion is the reason the film is entertaining. I found myself laughing at the things he said and the way he behaved throughout the movie. The mystery in the film, given through Banksy’s voice change and secret identity is at the same time funny and entertaining. The way he has been able to maintain his identity hidden even though his work is amazing is beyond my understanding.
Throughout the film, I caught myself trying to figure out “what is art?” At the beginning of the 20th century, art was a canvas with a painting on it, but in our current times, a decal is considered art. I felt like Banksy did produce art because his pieces made a statement. The creepy doll left in Disneyland made people uncomfortable and made a statement about the treatment of human subjects in jails. On the other hand, Thiery’s art was not art to me. His pieces were just print out’s of Andy Warhol pieces and a small modification with spray paint or some other medium. Even though I might not consider his pieces art, the whole world was captivated by his creations which created a hype around his show. Personally, I wouldn’t give Thiery credit for being a serious artist, but I do think he was a genius about the way he marketed himself and his show. Clearly, he cared more about creating hype for his show than the actual pieces. Either way, he was able to make millions from selling “art” that cost him a vinyl paper, spray paint, and zero creativity. Overall, I think everyone sees art differently; I would never say his pieces were art, but other people did which makes him successful.