Banksy's Dismaland opened today

[Chittychangchang]

Banksy's Dismaland park: shocking, funny, extraordinary



Clandestine street artist Banksy opens a theme park like no other. Inside a derelict lido in Weston-super-Mare, Dismaland features migrant boats, a dead princess and Banksy's trademark dark humour.



It’s an extraordinary, shocking and funny experience from the moment you step through the gates of Dismaland.

A fake security check underlines the fabricated threats Banksy and his collaborators believe we are being guarded against.

Once inside, every piece from more than 50 international artists is a twist on what you’d find in a seaside theme park.

[Stinky]

I've been to Weston-Super-Mare, it is Dismaland.

[Chittychangchang]

^He's picked a perfect place for Dismaland

[Humbert]

I'm sure he and 12 other people will appreciate the joke.

[Boon Mee]

^He's picked a perfect place for Dismaland

There or over to the other side say in Skegness. Now that's dismal.

[baldrick]

so where is the the room for whacking a load of heroin up your arm
?

[CaptainNemo]

Oh gosh, wot worthy and self-effacing, yet witty, social commentary... yawn

Supposing ... Subversive genius Banksy is actually rubbish | Comment is free | The Guardian

http://is-a-[at][at][at][at].com/2014/05/banksy/

[kmart]

^Thanks for the link. Gave me a larf.

[Chittychangchang]

Oh gosh, wot worthy and self-effacing, yet witty, social commentary... yawn

Supposing ... Subversive genius Banksy is actually rubbish | Comment is free | The Guardian

http://is-a-[at][at][at][at].com/2014/05/banksy/

Cheers for that......From the link.....

Here's a mystery for you. Renegade urban graffiti artist Banksy is clearly a guffhead of massive proportions, yet he's often feted as a genius straddling the bleeding edge of now. Why? Because his work looks dazzlingly clever to idiots. And apparently that'll do.
Banksy first became famous for his stencilled subversions of pop-culture images; one showed John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in a famous pose from Pulp Fiction, with their guns replaced by bananas. What did it mean? Something to do with the glamourisation of violence, yeah? Never mind. It looked cool. Most importantly, it was accompanied by the name "BANKSY" in huge letters, so everyone knew who'd done it. This, of course, is the real message behind all of Banksy's work, despite any appearances to the contrary.

Take his political stuff. One featured that Vietnamese girl who had her clothes napalmed off. Ho-hum, a familiar image, you think. I'll just be on my way to my 9 to 5 desk job, mindless drone that I am. Then, with an astonished lurch, you notice sly, subversive genius Banksy has stencilled Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald either side of her.

Wham! The message hits you like a lead bus: America ... um ... war ... er ... Disney ... and stuff. Wow. In an instant, your worldview changes forever. Your eyes are opened. Staggering away, mind blown, you flick v-signs at a Burger King on the way home. Nice one Banksy! You've shown us the truth, yeah?

As if that wasn't irritating enough, Banksy's vague, pseudo-subversive preaching is often accompanied by a downright embarrassing hardnut swagger. His website is full of advice to other would-be graffiti bores, like: "be aware that going on a mission drunk out of your head will result in some truly spectacular artwork and at least one night in the cells". Woah, man - the cells!

He goes on to explain that "real villains" think graffiti is pointless - not because he wants you to agree with them, but because he wants you to know he's mates with a few tough-guy criminal types. Coz Banksy's an anarchalist what don't respect no law, innit?

One of his most imbecilic daubings depicts a monkey wearing a sandwich board with "lying to the police is never wrong" written on it. So presumably Ian Huntley was right then, Banksy? You absolute thundering backside.

Recently, our hero's made headlines by sneaking a dummy dressed in Guantánamo rags into Disneyland (once again fearlessly exposing Mickey Mouse's disgusting war criminal past), and defacing several hundred copies of Paris Hilton's new album (I haven't heard her CD, but I'm willing to bet it's far superior to Blur's godawful Think Tank, a useless bumdrizzle of an album, whose artwork was done by Banksy - presumably he spray-painted it on a brick and hurled it through EMI's window, yeah?).

Right now you can see some of Banksy's life-altering acts of genius for yourself at his LA exhibition Barely Legal (yeah? Yeah!), including a live elephant painted to blend in with some gaudy wallpaper. This apparently represents "the big issues some people choose to ignore" - ie pretty much anything from global poverty to Aids. But not, presumably, the fat-arsed, berk-pleasing rubbishness of Banksy. We're all keeping schtum about that one.

[Chittychangchang]

Thousands struggled to get online tickets to Dismaland, a dark theme park, open for five weeks at the seaside resort.
A "locals only" free ticket day was held on Friday, but the ticket website crashed when it received more than six million hits.
General tickets are due to go on sale online again on Tuesday.
Doors opened at 11:00 BST on Saturday to those already queuing, many who had waited overnight.
Dismaland: First come-first served queue at Banksy show - BBC News

[Neverna]

Thousands struggled to get online tickets to Dismaland, a dark theme park, open for five weeks at the seaside resort.
A "locals only" free ticket day was held on Friday, but the ticket website crashed when it received more than six million hits.

Obviously it was planned, and was meant to be part of 'dismal' experience promised at the bemusement park.

Cool.

[Chittychangchang]

Barry Island is to sue Banksy for stealing their ‘Dismaland’ theme park idea.

Artist Banksy has recently hit the headlines for staging a derelict and substandard theme park in Weston-Super-Mare. But Barry Island bosses have contacted their solicitors after they claim that Banksy got the idea from them.

Spokesman Dai ‘The Wrench’ Jones told Teakdoor reporter

“This guy turns up, sticks a few shitty amusements in his park and they all come flocking. Why’s that? We’ve been doing that for over 50 years and we never get a mention on the telly. I spoke to my mate last night. His mate knows a guy who knows a solicitor so we’re going to go around his house on Tuesday to talk about it. I’m not sure how I’m going to get there as he lives out in the sticks. Any chance of a lift?”

The man who looks after the Hook-a-Duck stall added:

“It’s £2 a go mate. No. £2. You can pick any prize you want. Yeah. £2. Want a go? Why not? It’s only £2.”

[Neverna]

^ Good one

[Neverna]

Penultimate batch of Dismaland tickets sell out in 10 minutes!

Tickets to visit Banksy’s Weston-super-Mare show on September 22-25 went on sale yesterday morning, with 8,000 available for each day. The tickets sold out in 10 minutes!!!



Penultimate batch of Dismaland tickets sell out in 10 minutes - Weston Mercury

[Dapper]

Banksy is a genius.
Way ahead of his time.

[pseudolus]

^ Not really. There are lots of people with the same point of view and understanding. He just happens to be very public and very rich so can do brilliant things like this. Everyone I know who has been there has loved it, except ardent Tory supporters who didn't understand it, and instead sat down reading the telegraph.

[Dapper]

^
Banksy was a legend 15 years before he became rich.
He was a pioneer and an innovator.
People who spout shit about him have no knowledge of the early years.

[pseudolus]

I'm not spouting shit about him, precious boy. There were people making similar statements to him 100 years ago!

[BaitongBoy]

There were people making similar statements to him 100 years ago!

Now that's simply amazing...Depending on how you read it...

[Chittychangchang]

A mural believed to be by artist Banksy should to be removed from a disused Hull bridge, a local councillor has claimed.
The stencilled design depicts a child carrying a wooden sword with a pencil attached to the end.
Images of the mural were shared on Banksy's official Instagram account on Friday.
Conservative councillor John Abbott said Banky's work did not compare with "real art" in the city gallery.
"I think that should be cleaned off. It should be photographed and the photograph kept because Banksy is not without talent," said Mr Abbott.
"But to compare Banksy for example with some of the real art in the Ferens Art Gallery, which is quite mind-bogglingly brilliant at times, is, shall we say, to judge by two different sets of standards."
The elusive street artist posted two photos of the permanently raised bridge, situated on Scott Street in the Wincolmlee area.
BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz described Banksy as a "good artist and a genius PR man".
"I don't think you can remove it," he said.
"I think the whole point of Banksy's work is they are what is called site specific... they work because of the places they've been put and if you remove the location the work loses its power."

The mural appeared on a permanently raised bridge in the Wincolmlee area of Hull

[Chittychangchang]

Street art bearing all the hallmarks of a Banksy piece has appeared in London where Extinction Rebellion protesters have been causing chaos for the last fortnight.
The artwork, yet to be confirmed as the infamous street artist's, was spotted early Friday morning in Marble Arch - the base of the climate activists' demonstrations.
It features an image of a child holding an Extinction Rebellion sign next to a small plant dug in the ground, with the words: 'From this moment despair ends and tactics begin.'


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6962733/Does-Banksy-Extinction-Rebellion-Street-artists-work-appears-London.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

[cyrille]

So like Banksy, but without the wit.

[Chittychangchang]

Image copyrightSTEVE LAZARIDESImage captionThe photographs were taken by Banksy's former agent and photographerPhotographs apparently showing elusive street artist Banksy at work have been published.
The behind-the-scenes images apparently capture Banksy in action, creating several famous works of art at various locations - although none of them show his face.
They were taken by his former agent and photographer, Steve Lazarides, who worked with him for over a decade.
The graffiti artist's identity has never been publicly revealed.
Image copyrightSTEVE LAZARIDESImage captionSteve Lazarides worked with Banksy for 11 years but said he hated the art world and only became part of it because of the elusive artistMr Lazarides said he worked with Banksy "for 11 glorious years, during which time we broke every rule in the rule book, along with a fair few laws".
"I hate the art world. I only became part of it because Banksy catapulted the movement into the stratosphere," he said.
"It was a ride - however, I'm glad I'm out of it and about to enter the next ride."
Mr Lazarides hails from Banksy's reputed home city of Bristol, and was commissioned to create the artist's portrait in 1997, which led to their 11-year partnership.
He worked as Banksy's agent, photographer, driver, and gallerist.
The photographs of Banksy at work, along with shots of some of his street art, are published in a new book by Mr Lazarides - Banksy Captured.
Is this Banksy? Chris Kelly, Digital Editor, West of England
In 20 years working as a journalist in Bristol, I've written dozens of Banksy stories, been to many of his shows and taken more photos than I care to remember of his work. But only once have I ever seen who I thought was the elusive Bristol artist.
In 2015, I was invited to Weston-super-Mare for a mystery event at a disused outdoor swimming pool. It turned out to be Dismaland.
I was one of the first journalists through the door and spent the morning looking through the weird and wonderful collection of depressing-themed art.
But as I was on my way out, there was a door open that led to an office. Inside was a group of people, one of whom had very familiar, shaggy dark hair, as seen in these photos.
The security guard clocked that I'd looked inside the office and hastily shoved me out the door.
Banksy appears to prize his anonymity and that's what makes these rare photos of him in action all the more interesting.
Image copyrightSTEVE LAZARIDESImage captionBanksy's identity has never been publicly revealedImage copyrightSTEVE LAZARIDESImage captionBanksy's works have popped up on walls around the UK

• Why is Banksy vetting his online customers?
• Banksy mural removed from disused bridge
• Card firm rejects Banksy 'custody' claim

Image copyrightSOTHEBY'SImage captionBanksy's Devolved Parliament sold at auction for just under £9.9m earlier this month

[cyrille]

ImagecopyrightSTEVE LAZARIDESImage caption

Has it ever occurred to you to...oh, never mind.

[Joe 90]

image captionAn expert said it did "appear to be a new Banksy"
An artwork bearing the hallmarks of street artist Banksy has appeared on the side of Reading Prison overnight.


The picture shows a prisoner - possibly resembling famous inmate Oscar Wilde - escaping on a rope made of bedsheets tied to a typewriter.


Campaigners have been fighting to see the former jail turned into an arts hub rather than sold off for housing.


The "guerrilla artist" has not yet claimed the work but an expert said it did "appear to be a new Banksy".


The jail famously housed Wilde between 1895 and 1897 and was immortalised by his poem Ballad of Reading Gaol during his stay, which reflected on the brutality of the Victorian penal system.


He was convicted after his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas was exposed.



image captionSome people believe the artwork is related to plans to develop the prison
The prison has been derelict since 2013 and was put up for sale by the government in 2019.


However, a deal to sell the Grade II-listed building to developers fell through last year and Reading council said it hoped to revive its bid to turn it into an arts complex.

• What happens when a Banksy appears?
• Buyer who removed Banksy mural gets hate mail
• Reading Prison arts centre plan revived

Hollywood actors Sir Kenneth Branagh, Natalie Dormer and Dame Judi Dench are among the stars who have lent their support to the campaign.


Banksy expert and vice-chancellor of Arts University Bournemouth, Prof Paul Gough, described the artwork as "pretty compelling" and said the quality of the painting suggested it was done by someone "who knows how to paint and has got a lot of practice at painting up a scaffold in the dead of night".


He added: "At the moment it would take a good copier to get that right."


IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES/MORLEY VON STERNBERG
image captionThe prison was immortalised in Oscar Wilde's poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Discussing the artwork's message, he said: "It's possibly a comment on the prison's potential use as an arts centre, but the fact that it's got a type-writer and that it's all about paper and writing might be some sort of commentary on what's happening with news media and Facebook."


Vince John, from the 1loveart gallery in Bristol, which sells urban and street art, said: "I believe this is an example of Banksy's street work at its best, being both humorous and politically poignant. A great piece of work and a brilliant social commentary."


The art curator said he thought it referenced Oscar Wilde and could be a "nod of encouragement for the use of the building as a cultural and arts centre... now it has its crowd-puller and star exhibit to get things moving in the right direction".