January 16, 2011

Banksy, Enter Through the Gift Shop (2010).

The "authenticity" of this Banksy documentary seems to be in doubt, but even if it's a hoax, it documents a few of the major players in the street art-to-gallery darling evolution that came about in the last decade. Whether or not Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) is "authentic" doesn't seem to matter much, as he is still putting on shows and selling on the market.

If Banksy, Shepard Fairey, et alia really felt MBW somehow hadn't "played by the rules", then making a full-length doco to give Guetta even more brand awareness and subversive outsider credibility would seem like the worst move possible. However, Banksy making a doco that asks just what "credible, authentic" art is, well that just seems right in keeping with his body of work.