"OBEY is about brainwashing. Banksy is about brainwashing. So I used M.B.W. - I am Mr. Brainwash."
Mr. Brainwash (often written MBW), a.k.a. French-born Thierry Guetta, began his pilgrimage into the world of street art after being introduced to the art form by his cousin, street artist, Invader.
Thierry Guetta was a businessman who recognised the powers of promotion. He moved to the United States where he became obsessed with recording the mundanity of his family life in hundreds of hours of eventless footage. This would prove to be a huge influence on his art in the future.
A visit to Paris, and time spent with his cousin Invader, opened Mr. Brainwash's eyes to street art and the opportunities of "a gallery outside." A chance meeting with Banksy ultimately launched the career of Mr. Brainwash.
MBW gained a reputation as a profile copycat, borrowing styles and themes from other artists.
In 2009, pop music icon Madonna commissioned Guetta to design her Celebration album cover. The cover is made up of two images of Madonna blended together.
2010 saw the release of "Exit Through the Gift Shop: A Banksy film" which starred Guetta, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Invader. The film followed Guetta's rise to stardom as Mr. Brainwash. A question which was constantly raised about the film was whether or not it was a big Banksy hoax. According to Guetta, "This movie is 100% real. Banksy captured me becoming an artist. In the end, I became his biggest work of art."
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"I don't know how to play chess, but to me, life is like a game of chess." ~ Mr. Brainwash
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