Mr Brainwash
Mr Brainwash, one of the most talked about artists of today is the moniker of eccentric French filmmaker Thierry Guetta. After years filming the likes of Banksy and Obey he has put down the camera and taken up the spray can and become one of California’s most prolific street artists. A maverick of the art world, Mr Brainwash has a trademark positive message and playful spirit that's taken the world by storm.
He started documenting the street art of Obey back in 1999, and it was through Obey that he was introduced to Bansky. Mr Brainwash has collected hours of footage often risking his own neck following artists at work. He is still filming today at events such as the massively successful Cans festival under Waterloo train station.
It was the introduction to Banksy that helped Mr Brainwash make the transition from a voyeur of street art into a participant. He graduated from hand drawn stickers to making giant sized paste-ups. His imagery is now seen on the streets of LA and New York.
Back in June 2008, Mr Brainwash made his art show debut with one of most memorable solo exhibitions Los Angeles has ever seen. Called "Life is Beautiful", it featured many works, including a 20-foot robot made of old TVs, a life-size recreation of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks and a pyramid made from 20,000 books. Fans queued round the block to get in on opening night.
Mr Brainwash's work continued to gather recognition from street-art enthusiasts and art collectors alike and in 2009, Madonna approached him to design the cover of her greatest hits compilation album entitled, Celebration. In addition to the CD, Mr Brainwash created 15 different covers for the accompanying vinyls, singles and DVD releases.
He has referenced artists such as Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp and Robert Indiana in his works, but it's Andy Warhol's influence that is the strongest. He uses icons of celebrity and consumer culture and mixes them with early pop art images to create his own graffitti and pop art hybrid.
Mr Brainwash was the subject of Banksy's hugely successful 2010 documentary film "Exit Through the Giftshop". The film was originally meant to focus on Banksy, but the tables were turned when Banksy challenged Mr Brainwash to create his own art show. The film charts the creation of the show, which became the LA blockbuster "Life is Beautiful". Banksy commented, "Mr Brainwash is a force of nature, he’s a phenomenon. And I don’t mean that in a good way."
Mr Brainwash added to his own celebrity in a collaboration with superstar DJ David Guetta which saw him direct Guetta's video "Metropolis".