Banksy Conquers Street Art, "The Simpsons" And "Exit Through The Gift Shop"
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Exit through the Gift Shop (Creative Commons)
Depressed factory Asian workers, a sad unicorn and cats being turned into Bart Simpson dolls highlights the brilliant storyboard. Banksy reportedly got the idea from reading that “The Simpsons” outsources its animation to South Korea.
After watching “Exit through the Gift Shop,” an excellent documentary directed by Banksy himself, “Simpsons” executive producer Al Jean invited the elusive artist to create the intro.
The casting director, Bonnie Pietila, managed to track him down and a couple of months later, Sunday night’s airing of “The Simpsons” brought it back to its old, former, subversive roots.
Viewers were able to later see it on YouTube, where it was pulled, but still remained on Hulu, then went back on YouTube again.
Audiences speculated that Fox was offended by the content, which is odd considering they commissioned and aired the thing, and Al Jean doesn't seem to think the network was bothered either.
Check out the intro here:
Banksy’s timing could not be more perfect when “Exit through the Gift Shop” is still being screened in theaters across Los Angeles. The first release date was April 16 in N.Y. and L.A., but has since then relied on small scale promotion and word of mouth to keep the film going, much like Banksy’s work.
This entertaining documentary takes a look at the world of street art told through the eyes of Thierry Guetta, also known as Mr. Brainwash, but organized and directed into some semblance of cohesion by Banksy.
“Exit through the Gift Shop” pokes fun at the art world and the meaning and price of art in all its subjective glory. Guetta, an L.A. based Frenchman, starts off with explaining that he always loved to film people and follow them around, not for any particular reason, but just because he loves to do it.
He films his family, he films annoyed celebrities, and in 1999, he starts filming his cousin, Invader, a French street artist who tags the colorful iconic aliens from the popular ‘80s video game, Space Invaders, in and around Paris.
Because of Invader, Guetta was able to get footage from Shepard Fairey (famous for his Obey brand, his Andre the Giant insignia and his Obama print which he is now being sued for by the AP for copyright infringement) and a multitude of other street artists.
He became known to the other artists as a documentary maker and was therefore allowed to film and sometimes help with their creations while they broke the law.
Guetta wanted more than anything to film Banksy but could not get access to him for a long time.
Banksy, the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist whose identity has never been revealed but has been speculated on by various outlets, was made famous by his politically and satirically charged artwork and pranks starting in Bristol, moving on to London and later the world.
He first started in freehand but moved on to stenciling, with occasional messages that are usually anti-war and anti-establishment.
One prank had Banksy creating a sculpture of a red phone box beaten down with a pickaxe in its side, bleeding to death and placed in London. BT, the makers of the iconic red phone booths, said in their press release, “this is a stunning visual comment on BT’s transformation from an old-fashioned telecommunications company into a modern communications services provider.”
In 2005, Banksy painted nine images on the Israeli West Bank wall, one of them with an image of what looks like paradise painted into the wall and children climbing up a ladder trying to get to it.
The documentary continues with Guetta finally getting access to Banksy, and here is where things get really interesting. You have to watch it to see all the craziness involved, but it raises many questions of doubt; doubt of if the whole film is a joke, doubt of the price of what’s considered “real” art, doubt of Guetta, doubt of Banksy, etc.
Everything is suspect in the end, but you won’t care because of just how genuinely good the whole film is shot and how methodical the plot thickens towards the end.
Even though it does glorify illegal street art, it’s universal in that it speaks to the creative side of anyone with a pulse.
Although the film centers on Guetta, Banksy is the real and obvious star here. He’s hidden away in hoodies, face pixelated out and voice distorted, but he’s sharp, humorous and has onscreen charisma, even if it’s just shots of his hands creating art with his stencils.
Perhaps the best quote in the film can sum up its meaning when Banksy’s London dealer says, “At the same time, the joke's on...well, I'm not sure who the joke's on. I'm not even sure there is a joke."
