In the vein of Sebastian Peiter’s highly recommended street art book Guerilla Art, Babelgum posted his 60 minute documentary (included with the book) encompassing the beginnings of street to the current trend of commercialism in the asset market. Featuring countless high profile names in the game, Guerilla Art takes a look at the current place street artists have in the elite world of art today and where the genre is headed in the near future.
The description on Babelgum is a more adroit one than I will write, so I am going to post theirs instead:
A new generation of street artists are the latest hot property of art collectors and advertising brands. Featuring Futura 2000, Rammellzee, Banksy, Os Gemeos, Space Invader, Barnstormers, Espo, WK Interact, Zevs, Blek Le Rat, André, Noki, Miss Van and Eine. Filmed in New York, London, Paris, Sao Paulo and Tokyo the documentary introduces the graffiti-inspired street art pioneers Futura, Rammellzee and Blek Le Rat. Art patron Agnés B and art curator Jerome Sans comment on the early days of Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat, when graffiti changed the streets of New York and the urban landscapes of the rest of the world. The film portrays a new generation of street artists led by UK stencil artist Banksy, whose artworks achieve record prices at auction houses like Sotheby’s and who is collected by Damien Hirst and celebrities Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt. Other new street art styles featured are the mosaic tile wall images of Invader, the lyrical folklore inspired murals by Brazilian twins Os Gemeos and the “Visual Kidnappings” of advertising billboards by Parisian artist Zevs. GUERILLA ART reveals how street artists have developed a unique system of economic survival. Their works are bought by young peers and new collectors. Street artist collective “Pictures on Wall” sells limited-edition prints online and organises the Santa’s Ghetto art sale, filmed right in the centre of London’s shopping district. Once street artists have made a name for themselves, they run their own clothing labels or design special lines for streetwear companies. Futura creates record covers and logos for youth brands. Parisian artist André is a typical cultural entrepreneur running an art store, working on designer toy lines as well as opening clubs in Paris and other cities. Noki creates one-off anti-couture fashion pieces using street art techniques. Rammellzee performs a mythology of his own Gods in clubs and gallery spaces. “Over the last few years street art has established itself as an art form. But where can this street-based movement go from here, after works by Banksy have been boarded up, chiselled off the walls, to be sold on eBay for money far exceeding the gallery prices?” Tim Marlow – White Cube Gallery Curator.
Click here to watch the film and feel free to post your reviews in the comments
Courtesy of Babelgum