Our Summer 2009 “Cover Artist,” Mr. Brainwash, has just announced an epic show in New York City. On Valentine’s Day, February 14th, in the city’s Meatpacking District MBW will open ICONS. It’ll be 15,000 square feet of art and bigger than life installations as only Mr. Brainwash can pull off. All of the canvases, prints and broken record pieces are new – created after his mega-successful Life is Beautiful exhibition in Los Angeles in 2008. The first 300 people attending the show will receive a signed limited edition print. Each one will be hand-finished and unique. The exact location of ICONS will be revealed on February 12th at noon on mr.brainwash.com.

MBW is also the man behind the camera for Banksy’s new movie, “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” The film is ten years in the making and premiered Sunday, January 24, at The Sundance Film Festival. The unannounced feature was all the buzz in Park City, Utah. “Exit Through the Gift Shop” tells the story of Mr. Brainwash’s move from France to the U.S. and his fascination with the growing street art movement. Along the way, he filmed some of the industry’s biggest names – Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Faile Mr. A, Space Invaders and more. Then he met and befriended Banksy becoming the only man to capture him in action on video. But in  this highly anticipated movie, Banksy turned the camera back on MBW. Banksy has said, “It’s the story of how one man set out to film the un-filmable. And failed.” Banksy’s publicist told The Guardian, “It’s a film about a man who tried to make a film about me. Everything in it is true, especially the bits where we all lie.” Sundance Festival Director  John Cooper said the story was so bizarre that he questioned whether it could be real. ”‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ is one of those films that comes along once in a great while, a warped hybrid of reality and self-induced fiction while at the same time a totally entertaining experience,” he added. (Check here to view the trailer).

In addition to his photography credit for “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” and his ICONS show in NYC, Mr. Brainwash will also be doing the limited edition prints and posters for the 2nd Annual Carmel Art & Film Festival in October. To read our feature article on Mr. Brainwash, click here.