If, like me, you thought UK Artist Banksy's film, "Exit Through the Gift Shop," in its perplexing mix of "what is real? what is satire?" was an engrossing analysis of art and commerce, then his recent opening of the Simpson's is a mind-blowing critique of art in the Age of Outsourcing. Banksy, Matt Groening and company, in a brief minute and three quarter opening, through admittedly far-fetched imagery (depressed unicorns poking holes in DVDs, children dipping animation cels into toxic liquids, etc.) manage to make large, subversive political statements about the Way of the World at this moment. It makes NBC's new comedy, Outsourced, very pale by comparison, indeed, and shows us how things are and how we choose to pretend they are. More on Banksy here and Exit Through the Gift Shop here.
Mary Elizabeth William's Salon article here Dave Itzkoff talks to Al Jean, the Simpsons' exec producer and long-time showrunner here
The Simpson's Opening below:
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