17 July 2014

BEIRUT: The movie Exit through the Gift Shop, the 2010 feature-length documentary by the elusive U.K. street artist Banksy, follows the artistic perambulations of France-born L.A. based artist Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash).

Although the film triggered some doubts over its authenticity prompted in part by the directors mischievous anonymity its debut at that years Sundance Film Festival was received with rave reviews.

A lot of attention has been drawn to Mr. Brainwashs 2008 exhibition Life is Beautiful, which was assembled with the support of many street artists, including Banksy himself.

For those eager to discover the original, psychedelic art of Mr. Brainwash, Geneva-based gallery Bel-Air Fine Art has curated an outstanding exhibition at Saifis Gallery 169, which is up until the end of the week.

Bearing the same name as Mr. Brainwashs 2008 exhibition, the Beirut one gathers a series of 11 original works portraying such pop culture celebrities as Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kate Moss, among other well-known figures.

This series serves as a showcase of Mr. Brainwashs great technical ability and attention to detail.

One work portrays John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono holding a banner whose message isnt Give peace a chance, but Art is All Over. The work balances the formal juxtaposition of the background crowded with colorful graffiti-like bits and pieces and the black-and-white rendering of the two central figures in the foreground.

Mr. Brainwashs piece on legendary U.S. guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix portraying the renowned performer playing his cherished instrument has been made out of broken vinyl, the material that conveyed his artistry to generations of admirers. Rendered without context, this work emphasizes Hendrixs singular talent, while the medium speaks to his mass appeal.

The other works on show convey the street artists role in personalizing well-known celebrities.

The exhibition places the works of Mr. Brainwash alongside the kinetic art of Patrick Rubinstein.

Kinetic Pop Art, as the second part of the show is entitled, comprises a series of 14 pieces. As the title suggests, the viewer sees two different images from a single work, depending on the perspective from which the viewer is gazing.

This technique gives the series a playful quality. Like Mr. Brainwash, Rubinsteins art depicts well-known figures from pop culture Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, for instance, Michael Jackson, French icon Brigitte Bardot, and U.S. blues musician Ray Charles.

In the latter case, viewers approaching the piece from one side may see a large portrait of Charles. As the viewer moves on, the work seems to change, revealing several miniature portrayals of the piano-playing vocalist, highlighted by titles of such numbers as his 1960 hit Georgia On My Mind.

Another of Rubinsteins works is a replica of John Pasches famous design logo for The Rolling Stones. The artist re-interprets this Tongue and Lip Design, so that one side pays tribute to the logo, while from another angle the image resolves into one of the bands frontman Mick Jagger.

Other works are just as entertaining. Images of Disneys Mickey Mouse and The Little Mermaid plunge the onlooker into an engrossing evocation of childhood.

Owner and gallerist Francois Chabanian explained to The Daily Star that a gallerist should not stay in his gallery. It is for this reason that the Bel-Air Fine Art gallery decided to travel around the world and exhibit prestigious works as the ones of Mr. Brainwash and Rubinstein.

After curating shows in France and Italy, Chabanian explained, he decided to select these series for Lebanon a country with which hes fallen in love.

Mr. Brainwashs Life is Beautiful and Patrick Rubinstein's Kinetic Pop Art are on show at Saifis Gallery 169. For more information, please call 70-738-220.

Copyright The Daily Star 2014.