Celebrity comes in all shapes and sizes, but I’ve never come across so oddly assembled a package as Thierry Guetta.

“You can’t choose your future,” offers Guetta, 45, in heavily French-inflected English. It’s a guileless non-sequitur, in his typically amiable fashion, followed up with an irrefutable truth: “From where I was to where I am, it’s a different world.”

That’s for sure. Somehow, some way, Guetta — who you might know better as Mr. Brainwash, if you know him at all — has jumped the line to be included in the pantheon of international street-art giants like Shepard Fairey — he of the iconic Obama “Hope” poster, most recently — and, of course, Banksy, the British kingpin of the street-art explosion.

That part’s important. Banksy, whose guerrillistic creative chutzpah knows no bounds, made Guetta the subject of his Oscar-nominated documentary last year, Exit Through the Gift Shop. He also made him a star — inadvertently, or so he claims — which is why Guetta and his team of handlers are in Toronto this week.

Channel 4 in the UK recently aired The Antics Roadshow – an hour-long special produced by the infamous street artist and art prankster Banksy.

You can view the complete episode and more information below.

Perhaps the film that everyone wanted to pre-judge and dismiss as part of the perceived "over-hype" of Banksy turned out to be the biggest surprise of 2010. Not only was the film entertaining, funny, and controversial, but was actually a well-made, great bit of filmmaking. It transcended typical street art and art circles and became a film that masses could enjoy. Most people we spoke to, some of the early critics, even admired Banksy's 2010 project to reimagine the art world.

Exit Through the Gift Shop has made it onto many critic's Top 10 Lists, went to Sundance, and made a mystery man in Mr. Brainwash (is he really just Banksy, is he Banksy and Shepard Fairey, is he just a man who really liked street art) into an international art sensation, real or not. It told a particular story of street art, and canonized it in a way few if any had done before. All from the man who claims no ties to anything, although Banksy did draw the line in the sand in 2010.

Was it better than expected? Ten times over. Was it controversial? People are still arguiing over it. That to us is the mark of a landmark film.

From Juxtapoz.

Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Banksy has serious cojones.


Banksy, the Scarlet Pimpernel of the art world, succeeded last night where many others have also succeeded – and made a cock out of Number 10.

Outwitting security that includes multiple CCTV cameras, armed response units, radar, air support and a bobby on the doorstep, the publicity-hungry/shy graffiti artist somehow left one of his trademark stencils at the door of power last night – causing an immediate media storm.

“Is it art?” frothed Guardian correspondent Giles Harbinger, “or is it vandalism? Or is it, in fact, the free and sane expression of the people’s feelings towards their governors?” The Daily Mail heralded it as a shocking indictment of the benefits culture. The Star recreated the image with some models.

This morning the Metropolitan police were unclear as to whether they would be issuing a warrant for Banksy’s arrest, following ‘mixed messages’ from Number 10 itself.

“Well of course it is embarrassing,” said a cabinet minister who asked not to be named,” but then again the value of the house has just gone up by about half a million pounds. Money is tight these days so, you know, and to be honest the Treasury is saying ‘well hang on a minute, lads – there might be something in this…’”

Seen first on The Poke.

‘The Simpsons’ Explains Its Button-Pushing Banksy Opening

How did “The Simpsons” manage to track down Banksy, the pseudonymous British artist, and get him to create the powerful opening-credit sequence from Sunday’s episode, which seems to reveal the torturous sweatshop responsible for the show’s creation? And how, after all that mockery, have the producers behind that Fox animated series been able to retain their jobs? Al Jean, an executive producer and the longtime show runner of “The Simpsons,” pulled back another layer of the curtain and explained the stunt to ArtsBeat on Monday afternoon.