POP LIFE: MR BRAINWASH
His works sells at auction for up to 120,000 dollars – but there have been serious doubts cast over whether Mr Brainwash, aka Thierry Guetta, is a hit or a hoax. When it comes to street art, stencils, graffiti and socio-political statement, few do it more wittily than MBW. With a style derivative of the likes of Blek Le Rat, Banksy and Shepard Fairey, MBW's artworks possess a meta-dimension thanks to his name and the speculation that has been thrown up concerning his very existence. Almost all street art takes as its subject the mind-numbing, brain-washing flood of media engrained in the psyche of the public. MBW recycles these famous images – of policemen, Hollywood figures, guns and icons – as have Banksy and Shepard Fairey, but with the ever-perplexing question mark of his name and origins (concocted by Banksy's film Exit Through The Gift Shop) always present. The potential brainwash of Mr Brainwash casts another meta-dimension on top of the meta-art already found in this brand of street art. Take his stencil of Charlie Chaplin clutching a paint can and roller: who is the artist here? And what is the art? MBW has said of himself that "I became [Banksy's] greatest work of art". Meet the elusive and illustrious Mr Brainwash and decide for yourself...
© Directed and produced by John-Paul Pryor and Craig Thomas for TOPMAN Generation