Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the -sort of- hillarious story of the French-born-LA-based Thierry Guetta who develops an obsession with street art. Tagging along many a nightly mission on rooftops and along city walls, he manages to capture on camera nearly in its entirety the most important part of the street art movement. These artists make their statements in the public space, and go by illustrous names such as Shepard Fairy or Space Invader. Only... one person is missing on his tapes: an untraceable, mysterious figure called Banksy. When they finally meet, this event sends both persons in an unexpected direction, not least due to Banksy's structural underestimation of how wack Thierry actually is.
The whole story being told is kind of tragi-comic, but it's the visuals and their message which truly make the film (well... Thierry's recollections in one-on-one interviews are pretty hillarious, too). Banksy is known for his work on the Israeli wall on the West Bank, among other controversial mural paintings, and we are introduced to many more creative people who reappropriate the concrete in the cities around them, such as Obey (known for his colourful portrait of Obama) and Space Invader (actually Thierry's cousin).
After seeing the film, you feel like coming up with your own ideas to put even the smallest signature on the walls of your neighbourhood. And you start looking around for what else is there. Turns out there's a lot - and very large stuff indeed. Take for example Blu from Buenos Aires (see video above). He basically animates on entire facades of deject buildings, on pavements, everywhere. His projects must cost hundreds if not thousands of buckets of paint, but then the result is stunning. Have a look at the above, and if you like it, watch more on his site (highly recommended).
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