‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ screening Oct. 6 at ASU

Appalachian State University’s Catherine J. Smith Gallery and the Arts Management Organization (AMO) will co-host a screening of the film, “Exit through the Gift Shop,” on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons Room 114.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Members of AMO will introduce the film and lead a discussion after the screening. The student organization will sell popcorn and drinks as a fundraiser for the club.

“Exit through the Gift Shop” is a 2010 documentary directed by Banksy, a well-known British street artist and prankster recognized for his unorthodox stunts in the art world.

Unlike many prominent contemporary artists, who are known by name, Banksy’s identity remains a well-kept secret, even though he appears in the film itself. Rather than focusing on Banksy, the documentary primarily follows a budding French artist by the name of Thierry Guetta.

Under the spell of Banksy’s influence, Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) transforms from film artist to street art enthusiast, a journey that eventually leads to his installing and hosting an exhibition of his own work in Los Angeles and turns him into an overnight artistic sensation.

“Exit through the Gift Shop” has been widely recognized by notable cinematic organizations, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, among others.

According to the official description from Paranoid Pictures, “Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. He fiercely guards his anonymity to avoid prosecution. An eccentric French shopkeeper turned documentary maker attempts to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. (The film) includes footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview. As Banksy describes it, ‘It’s basically the story of how one man set out to film the un-filmable. And failed.’”

For more information on the Catherine J. Smith Gallery and the Arts Management Organization, visit http://www.art.appstate.edu/cjs and http://www.appamo.webs.com, respectively.