Open House: Archives

All questions of the relative merits and legality of graffiti aside, if you are in any way associated with or interested in art, you must see Banksy's "Exit Through The Gift Shop". If you recognize the name Banksy, you are already sold. If you don't, you're about to discover something wonderful. I'd even suggest getting familiar with his work before seeing the film so that you can appreciate his commentary as coming from a talented, thoughtful - and above all else - ridiculously creative source. The movie is by Banksy, not about him, although he and his work do appear in the film - as well as many other notable artists including Shepard Fairey, Space Invader, Flower Guy and others.

I believe this is playing in Seattle for only another week at the Harvard Exit Theatre, just around the corner from our office as it just so happens (Company outing? I'd happily watch it again). Don't miss it!

Update:
I realized that the preview to this film might be just a smidge misleading. It could appear that the focus is "taggers" - destructive punks who just want to deface property or get their name up on a wall. Instead, this film is about some pretty innovative artists with real talent who use the streets and public places as their canvases. Many of the artists featured in this film are published and hold gallery exhibitions. But all of them started on the street, guerrilla style. While that may make their choice of canvas no less destructive than a common tagger, at least they are - if only in their own minds - contributing something of value to the community. I happen to agree with them. Many do not. I might change my mind when it happens on my fence.