Who is Mr. Brainwash?
“Exit through the Gift Shop”—an incredible feast for your eyes, made for your viewing pleasure that will leave you hungry for more from these street artists. Some people call it graffiti, but it’s beyond a can of spray paint and just any building wall. Carmen Gray from TotalFilm.com said this documentary is “as diverting as a motorway pileup.” It keeps you wanting more as this hilarious movie unfolds amidst vandalism, fame, and the completely absurd and unexpected.
Step into the realm of these creative artists and see just how their minds unfold in the world of imaginative art, where sculptures and creative designs can be made just about anywhere, and from just about anything, including a red telephone box in London.
Mr. Brainwash, as he began calling himself, first started off as a French shop-keeper and amateur film-maker who first took an interest in filming these street artists. As he teamed up with Shephard Fairey in Los Angeles, he began filming him and then over time started helping him out with his art, like a side-kick. Before he knew it, he had befriended Banksy, (a globally recognized street artist whose work can be found on the Palestinian West Bank wall) and started working with him as well. Banksy maintains strict anonymity to avoid prosecution, and his face is never revealed throughout the entire documentary. Soon after, MBW becomes a street artist himself, posting up flyers and art all across cities of “MBW”—Mr. Brainwash.
It didn’t take long for Banksy to realize what a crappy film-maker MBW was, after a failed attempt at putting together an A.D.D type of movie that had no rhyme or reason that turned into a collage of still frames and meaningless short videos. So Banksy turned this into his own project—he turned the camera on MBW and started filming him and his own street art instead, and thus came into existence, “Exit through the Gift Shop”. One’s failure can be another’s success.
Who’s the real Mr. Brainwash?
The Graduate Baruchian 