The staging of invisibility

Varia
Banksy as a borderline case of a sociology of artistic reputations
By Pierre-Marie Chauvin
English

While renown and visibility generally go hand in hand, the case of the street artist Bansky allows us to critically examine the paradoxical combination of a great reputation and a high level of invisibility. This article analyses the reputational work accomplished by Banksy based on his film Exit through the gift shop (Faites le mur !). By distinguishing four modalities of reputation (fame, recognition, renown and visibility), the article examines this film as an original reputation device for Banksy. The film, a false documentary on street art, a self-portrait that denies being so, and a caustic critique of the contemporary art world and its functioning, contributes to maintaining the artist’s invisibility and reputation by informing and sustaining a question: “Who is Banksy?”

  • reputation
  • fame
  • recognition
  • renown
  • visibility
  • invisibility
  • sociology of art
  • street art
  • contemporary art
  • cinema
  • documentary
Go to the article on Cairn-int.info