Inked Mag Staff
August 20th, 2015
Banksy Presents Dismaland, The World’s Bleakest Theme Park
Photo Gallery Follows the Text Banksy’s latest project is Dismaland, the world’s bleakest theme park! The installation is in one of England’s most popular seaside getaways, Weston-super-Mare, and is clearly…
Photo Gallery Follows the Text
Banksy’s latest project is Dismaland, the world’s bleakest theme park! The installation is in one of England’s most popular seaside getaways, Weston-super-Mare, and is clearly the artist’s most ambitious exhibit to date. Throughout all of its components, from the dilapidated castle at the center of the park to the artist doing caricatures of the back of people’s heads, the park does its best to be a photonegative of the Disney themed parks found world wide. Where Disneyland is bright and cheerful, Dismaland is dark and grim.
Sitting center stage of the 2.5 acre park is a castle that looks a hell of a lot like the one you would find in Anaheim…. after Skynet has taken over and civilization has fallen. Perched on a rock in the lake in front of it is the most surreal version of The Little Mermaid you will ever see. Other exhibits within the park include bumper cars being driven by the grim reaper (New York residents might remember this being part of Banksy’s month long show in the city a few years back), an enormous big rig sculpture bent into a question mark and the scariest imaginable riff on the famed tea cups ride.
Naturally the employees of the park are also part of the exhibit. There aren’t a lot smiles to be seen as they hawk balloons saying “I am an imbecile” and offer free hot dogs to anyone who can name what type of animal is in their hot dog.
Of course there is also an art gallery at the park, technically an art gallery within an art gallery. Featured within the gallery are works by Banksy (of course), Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer and Jeff Gilette, according to the Huffington Post.
The park is a truly brilliant mockery of all things Disney delivered in a way that only Banksy could. Take a peak at the reclusive artist’s dystopian version of Disneyland in the gallery below.
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