English graffiti artist Banksy has just revealed to the world his plans for his upcoming exhibition in a seaside resort town of Somerset, England. Opening August 22nd, “The Dismaland Show” is located inside an original full-scale and particularly dismal theme park called “Dismaland: Bemusement Park”. The artist has a personal connection to the abandoned site, which previously housed a facility where he took swimming lessons as a kid. Now it is what Banksy calls a “family park that is unsuitable for children” – and he has been quick to add that it is not street art.
The show marks Banksy’s largest exhibition to date, and first major showing in the UK since his “Banksy versus Bristol Museum” show in 2009, where he remixed the museum’s own collection. In addition to new paintings and installations by Bansky, the park will also host works by guest artists spanning three main art galleries: Ben Long, Kate Macdowell (HF Vol. 15), Jeff Gillette, Zaria Forman, Scott Hove (HF Vol. 11, Collected 3) , Josh Keyes (HF Vol. 12 cover artist), Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, and James Cauty, just to name a few. And what theme park would be complete without a fairytale castle? At the dreariest place on Earth for the next six weeks, visitors can also expect to be entertained Bansky-style by an assemblage of Cinderella’s carriage, a boat pond overlooked by an abstract princess Ariel, arcade games, and carnival rides. “Dismaland” will be open to the public from August 22nd through September 27th, 2015 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England.
“Big Rig Jig”, an artwork by Mike Ross, on display at Dismaland.
A piece by Scott Hove for “The Dismaland Show”. Image courtesy the artist.
A piece by Scott Hove for “The Dismaland Show”. Image courtesy the artist.
A piece by Josh Keyes for “The Dismaland Show”. Image courtesy the artist.
Detail from an artwork by James Cauty titled “The Aftermath Displacement Principle.”
All photos credit Time.com unless otherwise noted.
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