MBW, is he a real artist?

Published on 10 / 28 / 2024

Exit through the Gift Shop (2010) was a beautiful film. What truly annoyed me about it, though, was Thierry Guetta, or Mr. Brainwash. I cannot argue he didn’t have the vision, but it is annoying that his hand wasn’t always the creator of his art. He would delegate his ideas to contractors, often barely overseeing the process. As a fellow artist, it feels disingenuous to sell your pieces and influence a community when you are not directly making your work.

Graffiti art made of the film's title.

In my eyes, this act is a parallel to people and businesses using AI to create art. It is easy to fool those who don’t know what to look for in AI art. I see on Facebook all the time comments of older individuals falling for AI images. AI, when used in realistic, persuasive ways, can easily brainwash a community. The whole situation is almost identical, and I believe most of you would argue that the use of AI to trick others is wrong, so why wouldn't you think the same for MBW?

What also threw me was the big leap Thierry took to be an artist. He refinanced his house and lost all his savings to fund his gallery. I don’t think he did it because he believed in his art, but rather I argue he knew he could lean on his friends. Having a bond with both Shepard Fairey and Banksy were crutches Thierry knew he could milk to advertise himself. With their assistance in promoting, he was recognized by LA magazines, which then drove traffic to his work. His cohorts also didn’t enthusiastically want to support him. Shepherd Fairey barely wanted to promote him. Banksy endorsed him, but did so in a way that called out Thierry for being unusual.

Mr. Brainwash at one of his newer exhibits, stealing from the art of the Post-Impressionalist Painter, Vincent van Gogh.

Banksy thought Thierry came into the world too soon and I agree. Banksy even called MBW the “R” word. Why would Banksy endorse him? What did he see in him? He didn’t even see vision in his video documentary, which he made fun of. That doesn’t make the most sense to me. It seems off. If Banksy hadn't been the director of this film, I don’t know if I would have believed MBW's story.

One thing I must say though is his street name is perfect. Thierry did brainwash those people at his show to believe he was this revolutionary artist. Visitors stated that he created a new wave of art and coined him as a legend on the streets. They truly believed all they were seeing was life-changing in a brainwashed way! He raised a million dollars in revenue in a week, barely having a name a month before. He tricked those people! Ah!

I think there is a lot to be learned from this documentary. It shows how anyone can be an artist and that the creative process can involve a lot of “stealing.” He was wildly successful, and you can’t deny that the success was impressive. He gambled hard for his success and still lives in it today. Not to mention, his family happily supports him in all he does, along with other artists. 

Anyway, this is just my opinion. I accept other opinions and I want to hear them! Please comment them down below. Thank you for reading!