"Dismaland Arc” takes us to Banksy's exhibition called Dismaland. Dismaland was a temporary art project organized by street artist Banksy in the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England. Prepared in secret, the pop-up exhibition at the Tropicana, a disused lido, was "a sinister twist on Disneyland" that opened during the weekend of August 21, 2015 and closed on September 27, 2015, 36 days later.

Banksy described it as a "family theme park unsuitable for children." The aesthetic of the "bemusement park" was potentially inspired by the "Dismaland" series of paintings created by American artist Jeff Gillette, who also participated in the exhibition.

Banksy created ten new works and funded the construction of the exhibition himself. The show featured 58 artists of the 60 Banksy originally invited to participate. 4,000 tickets were available for purchase per day, priced at £3 each. It received 150,000 visitors in the five-week period it was open. After it closed, the building material for the project was repurposed as shelters for refugees in the Calais Jungle, where Banksy also added murals.

Jeff Gillette is a contemporary American artist based in Southern California. He is best known for his subversive 'slumscape' paintings ironically featuring Disney characters.

The Calais Jungle was a refugee and migrant encampment in the vicinity of Calais, France, that existed from January 2015 to October 2016.

Piranhas

2024