Welcome To Dismaland! A Theme Park Designed By Banksy

Renowned street artist Banksy has opened a theme park in Weston-Super-Mare.

Banksy Dismaland
Banksy Dismaland

Renowned street artist Banksy has opened a theme park in Weston-Super-Mare.

Leave the kids at home this summer because Banksy has opened a new themepark and it’s strictly for adults only. Dismaland, is a new exhibition by the renowned street artist located at Tropicana, a derelict lido in Weston-Super-Mare. The Dismaland show doesn’t just feature work by Banksy but also includes pieces by Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer and Jimmy Cauty. Music artists such as Massive Attack will also perform at the show.

Banksy said: “I loved the Tropicana as a kid, so getting to throw these doors open again is a real honour.” The artist, who famously doesn’t reveal his identity, also revealed that he had decided that he wanted to work on the site after peering through gap in the fence in January.

The exhibition will now run for five weeks and Banksy said that he wants people to get involved with the subversive pieces of art. He revealed: “A dead princess is only complete when surrounded by gawping crowds with their cameras out, or the opportunity to photograph yourself pulling an amazed expression when a killer whale leaps from a toilet.”

Many people have been quick to suggest that the artist was taking a swipe at Disneyland, something which Banksy denies: ““It’s not a swipe at Disney. I banned any imagery of Mickey Mouse from the site. It’s a showcase for the best line-up of artists I could imagine, apart from the two who turned me down.”

The official guide for the show says: “Are you looking for an alternative to the soulless sugar-coated banality of the average family day out? Or just somewhere cheaper. Then this is the place for you—a chaotic new world where you can escape from mindless escapism. Instead of a burger stall, we have a museum. In place of a gift shop we have a library, well, we have a gift shop as well.”

And whilst Dismaland officially opens on Saturday but today 1000 tickets have been given out to locals through a coupon on the local paper. Better get those scissors out and get down there, people!

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