"I am Blek, Blek le Rat. I am a French graffiti artist. I was one of the first artists to use stencils for an artistic purpose in Paris in the beginning of the 1980s—in ‘81 exactly. At first, I put rats and I made them run along the wall. I wanted to do a rat invasion. I put thousands all over Paris...."
'Original stencil pioneer' is a short documentary film about revolutionary french graffiti artist 'Blek le Rat'. He is said to be the one of the innovators of stencil art in Europe and also one of the first people to bring the influences of New York across the Atlantic.
The film documents his life in graffiti and allows the middle aged artist to reflect upon his career on the streets, as well as his degrees in Architecture and Graphic Design. He talks in depth about his reasons for his political stencils and why there was need for them in Paris in the early 80's.
The pieces chosen show Blek's progression, rather than simply showcasing his best work. This may initially seem tedious, but the narrative shows the strong connection between the man and the art. The interviews featured are interesting, but there isn't enough exploration of a career spanning nearly thirty years in length and this is the major let down of the film. Many shots are replayed over and over and the general editing of the piece doesn't do justice to the creative genius it attempts to portray.
The DVD includes a gallery of additional photos, but these are simply stills of work included in the film and do not help to feed the hunger the viewer is left with after watching the short 30 minutes of footage.Overall the film serves its purpose in giving you an insight into the man behind the art, but in no way does it delve into enough detail of a mind that has altered an entire generation of artists, including most notably 'Banksy'. The body of work included is limited, though this may be due to the fact it had either been removed or that Blek did not give director 'King Adz' full access to the photo collection him and his professional photographer wife will have collected over his vast career.
Despite this drawback the film is a good watch for any creative type and for those who are interested in graffiti or hip-hop it is essential viewing.
To read an interview with Blek click on : THE SNEAKY BLEK
