The 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the story of a goofy Frenchman called Thierry Guetta and his absurd journey from obscurity to street art stardom. Through his cousin, the Parisian street artist Invader, Thierry is introduced to the international street art scene, along the way befriending Shepard Fairey and, eventually, Banksy, the acclaimed English artist known for his cheeky anti-establishment commentary and closely guarded anonymity. Shepard Fairey is best known for his red and blue “HOPE” portrait of Barack Obama, which graced the cover of Time Magazine’s Man of the Year issue in 2008. Exit is directed by Banksy and arrives at its surreal climax when Thierry reinvents himself (with the half-hearted support of both Fairey and Banksy) as Mr. Brainwash, a Los Angeles-based street artist of questionable talent and authenticity. If this all seems rather weird, trust your instincts.
I enjoyed Exit Through the Gift Shop, just as I’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the street art of Paris. Once content to glimpse graffiti through the window of a speeding subway car, more recently I’ve been seeking it out, along with the murals, mosaics, and stencils that show up in all corners of the city. With my focus adjusted I am seeing things that have been here all along, and like an elaborate canvas Paris reveals more detail the longer I stare at her.
The street artist Invader makes small mosaics, mostly inspired by American video games from the 1980s including Pac-Man and, surprise surprise, Space Invaders. As trite as this may seem, the little designs are fun to look for and, because of the mosaic, seem more substantial than both graffiti and the common stenciled figures that stare out at passers-by from their two-dimensional world. I don’t know how many of Invader’s mosaics are in Paris, but if you have the wherewithal to walk around for several hours looking up at the sides of buildings you are sure to see a few. There are websites with tell-all maps and links to Invader’s “invasion” of numerous other countries, but I prefer to see his work at random, which seems more in keeping with the vibe.
Most of the street art I’ve seen in Paris does not evoke masterful talent and it doesn’t have to. In the city of the Louvre I like the idea of artists simply drawing on the walls. The murals and graffiti do not draw crowds, but they are there, coloring the urban landscape for all to see. In the halls of the Louvre, by comparison, the thronging tourists seem intent on finding the handful of works they’ve been told are important, shuffling quickly past the thousands of pieces of art that didn’t make their guidebook’s index. They stand ten deep before the Mona Lisa with cameras and smart phones held aloft, all the while with their backs to The Wedding Feast at Cana, the remarkable 16th century painting by Paolo Veronese that completely covers the 20ft x 30ft wall.
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| les Halles |
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| Champs de Mars |
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| Notice the Invader on top right |
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| Two Invaders and a hipster on the Place de la République |
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| rue Mouffetard |
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| Place du Carrousel |
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| Montmartre |
