Tag Archives: Exhibition

Dismaland – Banksy is back!

British street artist Banksy has sprung a surprise on the unsuspecting public by opening an epic new show in the West Country coastal resort Weston Super Mare. While setting out to parody disappointing fairground parks it succeeds in creating a hugely entertaining adventure with art and what Banksy describes as “entry-level anarchy” included.

There are fairground rides, stalls, a fairy castle which is grim rather than Grimm, galleries, cafes and bars and of course you exit through the gift shop.

Banksy himself has created 10 new works for the event and in the galleries and various other locations are sculptures, installations and paintings by another 60 or so artists. The program also features performances, film, bands and DJs.

Banksy’s last significant activity was the “Better Out Than In” 30 day residency on the streets of New York in 2013 and before that he had epic art events in the UK with Cans Festival in 2008 and Banksy v. Bristol Museum in 2009. This production manages to trump all those for a variety of reasons.

The creation of Dismaland was shrouded in mystery, there had been rumours for over a month that Bansky was up to something at the abandoned lido site but a pretend Grey Fox film production was used to mask the true intention behind the work taking place on the site. The announcement came 3 days before the official opening, typical Banksy secrecy and short notice.

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Bill Barminski – X-Ray search (cardboard plus performance guards)

To get deeper into the Dismaland experience and for insights into Banksy’s achievement, check Graffoto’s review (written by Dave, Shoreditch Street Art Tour’s guide).

Admission costs £3 per person and is either by timed entry tickets booked online here or some are available on the day at the site but are likely to be then subject to queuing with a one-out-one-in system in operation. At the moment the ticket website is down and expected to go live at noon on Tuesday 26th August. Monday 25th is “walk up, cash only” admission.

All photos: Dave Stuart except featured image courtesy Banksy website www.dismaland.co.uk

Skeleton Cardboard: Not In Use

It’s all about the art on the street, that’s Shoreditch Street Art Tours. However, last Saturday the tour chanced upon an un-publicised pop-up one day exhibition by someone who has featured often on the tours and on the Shoreditch Street Art Tours blog – Skeleton Cardboard. So we popped in!

Photo: 71RCS

Inside was a collection of Skeleton Cardboard’s increasingly crazy skeleton characters with their appropriation and mockery of health and safety warnings.

Photo: 71RCS

The thing that was really special was that this to view the exhibition you walked off the street directly into someone’s front room, a private dwelling. One of those gallery experiences where you don’t feel in the least bit intimidated or over-awed at being in front of a display of art. Rather like viewing street art on the street actually.

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Photo: 71RCS

There are a few photos from Skeleton Cardboard’s show here, with thanks to his and our hosts from 71 Redchurch Street to whom credit is due for these photographs (except featured image at top: NoLionsInEngland). A more detailed review can be seen on the Graffoto blog here.

Flashback – Banksy v. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery 2009

It was 5 years ago that Banksy took over Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for what was his biggest ever proper exhibition. With pre publicity consisting of an undignified scamble by TV stations to a hastily convened press conference the night before, this show took us first by surprise then by storm with attendance records smashed.

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Banksy v. Bristol commoners

Banksy’s team worked over a three day period behind closed doors to install 100 pieces of Banksy paintings and sculpture, including a mock up of his studio.

Banksy Studio mock up (detail)

Not only was it the largest Banksy inside exhibition ever, it was also his most recent in the UK as we can safely exclude the Marks and Stencils Christmas 2010 group show in Soho, London. We are overdue another Banksy epic on these shores (we felt that in May 2009 too)!

Where Banksy drew the line

Banksy’s real coup was showing how even stuffy institutions could be transformed into a wildly popular public exhibition with a dash of humour and populism, the show was the biggest tourist attraction in the West Country for years and indeed since.

Enter via the 4 hour queue

Graffoto provided the best coverage at the time with both a review by NoLionsInEngland (moi) and an obsessive’s guide and record of the exhibits by Shellshock, my friend, co-blogger and author of the two famous Banksy Locations and Tours books.