British graffiti artist Banksy has taken satirical aim at Disneyland with a new theme park set to open in the U.K. this weekend.
Dismaland, built over an unused open-air swimming pool in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, is billed as a “bemusement park” and “the U.K.’s most disappointing new visitor attraction.” It makes numerous artistic swipes at the cultural and political establishment. Alongside works by Banksy himself, there are pieces by artists like Damien Hirst and Jenny Holzer.
Grumpy guards are set to welcome guests, while inside there’s a decrepit version of Disney’s classic Cinderella castle (behind a warped model of Ariel, from Disney’s Little Mermaid), plus a pool with tiny model boats full of refugees and a Grim Reaper sitting in a bumper car. Surly stewards wearing Mickey Mouse ears are also on hand to offer insincere-sounding welcomes.
“I guess it’s a theme park whose big theme is — theme parks should have bigger themes,” said Banksy in a statement, adding that Dismaland was a “festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism.”
The exhibition, which Banksy described as a “family theme park unsuitable for children,” is his first in the U.K. since 2009’s Banksy vs. Bristol Museum, which drew more than 300,000 visitors.
Dismaland is scheduled to run for six weeks.
