Exit Through the Gift Shop
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Caroline Fowle Julie Hicks LBST 1105 October 24, 2013 Exit Through the Gift Shop Reflection: Street art is Art because in most ways it’s very similar to all other forms of art—it requires skill, is usually conceptual or is an expression of something larger than the particular street art, and is force within our culture. Not all street art is Art in same way that all compositions made by common artistic tools is art. When I think about whether street art is art I think back to one of my favorite passages from J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye “If you had a million years to do it in, You couldn't rub out even half the 'Fuck you' signs in the world. It's impossible and of course that's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write fuck you, right under your nose.” This passage doesn’t exactly correlate with the subjects addressed in Exit Through the Gift Shop but added another layer to the complexities in sorting out graffiti. When we see expletives written on walls, at whom are they directed? There are dirty phrases that, much to most of the public’s dismay, litter public spaces and walls, but if they are powerful enough trigger such a guttural, instinctive emotional response—how can that not be at least somehow artistic? Maybe the error in defining some forms of graffiti as Art lies in the viewing communities lack of effort. Magritte made us question why that wasn’t a pipe and Andy Warhol forced us to pause and look at our current pop culture. Perhaps if graffiti had the conceptual community that backed other artistic movements, we wouldn’t struggle so much to define it. Banksy and other street artists like Shepard Fairey have successfully gained a following, but somehow they have not pulled up the entire genre of art with them.
I don’t think that MBW is an artist—he’s definitely a successful businessman. In the very beginning he mentioned how he would mark up the messed up pieces of clothing in his boutique and call them “designer.” He understands that he’s selling an illusion—the perception of what people accept as reality—and that the concrete substance is irrelevant. He knew the secrets to the process—the experts had mentored him—but I think the niche of street art is founded on originality or authenticity. Everything in our culture can be bought and sold. An interesting phenomenon to follow is the art scene in China. As the middle class grows, they are quickly buying lots of art. Now the once-havenots are excited to be in a position to buy a symbol of upper-class society. And the market responds. More art is being made in China and elsewhere for the Chinese art market. A huge art district in Beijing (798) continues to grow to support people from all over China who want to adorn their lives with art. Although I learned a lot from this film, I definitely do not have any answers to the many questions the movie asks. I’m continuing to learn as I question what art is, why it’s made, and what our role is with it. Also the movie brought my attention to instances of when people are getting played by marketing and its smoke and mirrors. However, it’s more complicated then that because our culture assigns the value of art and the monetary value follows suit, so if MBW pieces continue to be popular then I’m not really sure who’s getting played. I think we live in world where everyone is brainwashed, as MBW postulated, but I also don’t think that it’s MBW exclusively who holds all the cards and is doing the brainwashing.
I don’t think that MBW is an artist—he’s definitely a successful businessman. In the very beginning he mentioned how he would mark up the messed up pieces of clothing in his boutique and call them “designer.” He understands that he’s selling an illusion—the perception of what people accept as reality—and that the concrete substance is irrelevant. He knew the secrets to the process—the experts had mentored him—but I think the niche of street art is founded on originality or authenticity. Everything in our culture can be bought and sold. An interesting phenomenon to follow is the art scene in China. As the middle class grows, they are quickly buying lots of art. Now the once-havenots are excited to be in a position to buy a symbol of upper-class society. And the market responds. More art is being made in China and elsewhere for the Chinese art market. A huge art district in Beijing (798) continues to grow to support people from all over China who want to adorn their lives with art. Although I learned a lot from this film, I definitely do not have any answers to the many questions the movie asks. I’m continuing to learn as I question what art is, why it’s made, and what our role is with it. Also the movie brought my attention to instances of when people are getting played by marketing and its smoke and mirrors. However, it’s more complicated then that because our culture assigns the value of art and the monetary value follows suit, so if MBW pieces continue to be popular then I’m not really sure who’s getting played. I think we live in world where everyone is brainwashed, as MBW postulated, but I also don’t think that it’s MBW exclusively who holds all the cards and is doing the brainwashing.
