Attacks The Commercialism And Superiority In The Art Industry In Exit Through The Gift Shop

Street artists have been using digital platforms to share their interpretations of social and political issues through art. These digital media platforms, such as Instagram, Youtube and Stan have allowed artists to share their works to audiences around the world. By advertising their street art online, artworks which used to be considered temporary can now be seen as more permanent, when shared using social media platforms. This allows street artists to boost the signal and send the message to reach a global audience and potentially go viral. As well as Banksy, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh attacks the status quo through modernised issues, such as the brutality of sexual harassment.

Exit through the Gift Shop attacks the commercialism and superiority in the art industry through the use of satire. Banksy uses film techniques such as Mise en Scene to criticize the art world.

‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ is a 2010 Banksy film, directed by Banksy himself. This digital text tells the story of Thierry Guetta a French immigrant, who is obsessed with the street art world. Banksy uses Thierry attack the art world, by presenting him Thierry as foolish, untalented and opportunistic. Through this, artists such as Shephard Fairy and Banksy are shown as valuable and authentic in the art industry. The criticism of Thierry is represented through the music and interviews, as the music played behind Thierry is traditional, French piano caricature of, disregarding the solemnity of the film, making fun of Thierry to an extent. Throughout the interviews Banksy uses Mise en Scene to test the authenticity of Thierry, for example, throughout the interview of Thierry, he is presented in front of a blank wall, with limited art supplies shown behind him. However, the interview shown of Banksy, he is presented with some of his well-known artworks in the background surrounding him, as well as frames and other art supplies. Exit through the Gift Shop uses satire through Thierry’s nature, and mocks Thierry through the way he promotes himself. This documentary attacks the commercial world we live in and includes artists who are criticising current issues within our society

• Thierry’s hype is promoting himself contrasted to Banksy’s hype is his anonymity
• Work of satire
• Mocking the way, the world really is
• How does Banksy mock the art world using Thierry?
• Inclusion of inauthenticity of Thierry-The hype is about the money
• Interactions with artworks
• Attacking current issues

Banksy is an anonymous, English street artist and is known for his attack of the status quo. Banksy became familiar with his artistic talent when he was 14 years of age. Banksy began creating stencils, after almost getting caught for vandalizing a public space by police. Banksy has become globally well-known for his street art but has also become a reason for his strict anonymity. His work not only includes many powerful and controversial messages, but they may also be found throughout the Internet as viral images. Almost all of Banksy’s artworks are found on a variety of digital platform including his own website. This use of social media does not only contribute to the permanency of his artworks but also shares these social/political messages to a world-wide audience. After years of creating on the street art platform, Banksy changes modes to a digital platform. He changes his style, when he comes into contact with Thierry Guetta a “Film maker”, which leads to the creation of ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’.

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is an American street artist who grew up Oklahoma City, with both her parents. Her mother was an artist and art teacher which encouraged Tatyana’s love for art. She began creating her own art when she was in high school and made the decision of attending the University of Arts once she had finished school. She then later graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007. Tatyana Fazlalizadeh uses her talent to attack the status quo, regarding the ongoing issue of sexual harassment towards females. Her street art series, Stop Telling Women to Smile, can be found on walls across the globe.

In 2012 Tatyana released a project called ‘Stop telling women to smile’, this includes a series of portraits of women who have experienced the horrific acts of sexual harassment on the streets.

These posters were based on interviews conducted by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, with women speaking up about their experiences of public sexual harassment. Each poster features a portrait of one of the woman Tatyana interviewed, as well as a quote responding to the interviewees unnerving experience. These portraits are wheat pasted on the street to manifest women’s voices, and faces, and to send a vital message of this ongoing issue. By locating these portraits on the street, she is confronting and exposing guilty men of participating in this abuse and could potentially make them think twice before making this disgusting decision again.

As well as her websites, she uses these digital platforms to contribute to the permanency of her artworks. For example, Fazlalizadeh has created an Instagram account for this specific project which she advertises on her own Instagram account, allowing a wider audience to be aware of this social issue.