1. Banksy is the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist, political activist and painter, whose identity is
unconfirmed. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco, “Banksy was born in 1974
and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but
became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s." His satirical
street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a
distinctive technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on
streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
Banksy's first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop was released in the UK on 5 March.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is a film which tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French
immigrant in Los Angeles, and his obsession with street art. It is presented as a
documentary.Thierry Guetta is a French immigrant living in Los Angeles, making a living for
his family by running a clothing shop. He also has a strange obsession of carrying a camera
anywhere he goes, constantly filming his surroundings. On a holiday in France, he discovers
his cousin is none other than Space Invader, an internationally known street artist. Thierry
finds this fascinating, and accompanies Invader and his friends to his nocturnal ventures,
perpetually documenting their activities. During his filming, he continues to hear more about
Banksy - a prominent and secretive artist who he hasn't caught on tape yet.His attempts to find
contact to Banksy fail, until one day Banksy visits LA. Banksy contacts Fairey, who calls Thierry.
Thierry becomes Banksy's guide in LA, later following him back to England, winning the privilege
to film Banksy on his home. Banksy, however, sees the opportunity of having street art
documented, and after Thierry aids him in recording both production, deployment and crowd
reactions of his "Murdered Phone-box" piece, he asks Thierry to film the preparations of his "Barely
Legal" show, and admits to becoming friends with Thierry, as Thierry provides him a relief from his
anonymity. Returning to LA, Thierry becomes bored, and eventually ends up producing his own
stickers and decals and putting them up in the city.