Artist Within is a mixed media artwork with acrylic paint, stencils (graffiti) and spray paint by Mr. Brainwash. As in many of his artworks, children and youth are the central theme of the image. The little girl with the two pigtails reminds at the same time of one of the main motifs of Mr. Brainwash, the Balloon Girl. Behind her back she holds a paint-smeared brush, just as if she had just painted graffiti on a wall.

Artist Within means the artist in you. Just as Andy Warhol proclaimed that everyone must have their five famous minutes, here Mr. Brainwash’s little girl becomes a street artist. Finally, Thierry Guetta has also unexpectedly become a worldwide street art phenomenon because he came into contact with the art during his filming of the documentary “Exit through the gift Shop”.

“Artist Within” by Mr. Brainwash is a captivating mixed media artwork that encapsulates the innocence, creativity, and vulnerability of a young artist. The piece features a little girl with two pigtails, her head bowed and eyes cast downward, evoking a sense of bashfulness and introspection. She holds a paintbrush behind her back, hinting at a recent act of creativity that she perceives might have been mischievous or wrong.

The visual composition of “Artist Within” is powerful in its simplicity. The girl’s pose, with her head down and shoulders slightly hunched, conveys a mix of shyness and guilt, as if she has just been caught in the act of expressing herself through art. This subtle body language invites viewers to empathize with her, recalling moments from their own childhoods when they felt similarly exposed or vulnerable after revealing their creative endeavors.

Mr. Brainwash, known for his eclectic and vibrant style, often blends elements of street art and pop culture in his work. In “Artist Within,” the use of mixed media is particularly effective in enhancing the emotional depth of the piece. The paintbrush behind the girl’s back is a potent symbol of hidden creativity and the sometimes conflicting emotions that come with artistic expression. It suggests a tension between the desire to create and the fear of judgment or reprimand, a universal experience for many artists.

The background of the artwork may incorporate layers of graffiti, splashes of color, or other textures typical of Mr. Brainwash’s style, creating a dynamic contrast with the more subdued depiction of the girl. This juxtaposition highlights the vibrancy of artistic expression against the quiet introspection of the young artist. It serves as a reminder that creativity often blooms in unexpected places and moments, even in the face of self-doubt or societal constraints.

“Artist Within” speaks to the inner child in all of us, encouraging viewers to embrace their creative impulses despite the fear of making mistakes or facing criticism. The artwork is a celebration of the raw, unfiltered creativity that resides within everyone, and a poignant reflection on the courage it takes to bring that creativity to the surface. Through this piece, Mr. Brainwash invites us to remember the innocence and bravery of our own artistic beginnings, and to honor the artist within each of us.

Mr. Brainwash repeatedly refers to artworks by his mentor Banksy and interprets them in his own way. In Mr. Brainwash’s works, the original white background is typically colorfully decorated with collages, silkscreens, stencils and comic books. The cheerful and light-hearted is thus made even more clear true to the motto of Mr. Brainwash: “Life is Beautiful” or “Follow Your Dreams”. Often the crown used by Jean-Michel Basquiat is also present as a symbol.

Hardly any other street artist has experienced a comparably rapid rise as the Frenchman Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash, born in 1966 in Garges-lès-Gonesse. His path to becoming the most successful artist of recent years is closely linked to the name Banksy and his Oscar-winning film Exit Through the Gift Shop: In this documentary, Banksy encourages Thierry Guetta, who was still unknown at the time, to become active as an artist himself under the pseudonym Mr. Brainwash. The rumor that the Frenchman Brainwash is a purely fictitious person invented by Banksy and that his works are actually created by Banksy is therefore persistent.

In 2022, the Mr. Brainwash Art Museum opened in Los Angeles, more precisely in Beverly Hills, in a building designed by Richard Meier. The unstoppable rise of the street art star continued.

Works of art by Mr. Brainwash, which real name is Thierry Guetta, are repeatedly sold at auctions for respectable prices. A monumental Mr. Brainwash artwork was auctioned off at Phillips de Pury in New York with a remarkable price of around 98,000 euros / 114,000 US$ on 14.05.2010.