Banksy’s Version Of ‘Disneyland’ Is An Ironic Commentary On Consumerism
The latest artistic endeavour by Banksy, which is a morose and grotesque depiction of the Disneyland theme park, has a lot of people reaching for their wallets in order to experience what all the hype is about. In fact, the many individuals who have attempted to purchase tickets to Banksy’s new theme park were disappointed to find that the website crashed, making the process of performing the role of a typical consumer rather difficult.
The irony here is that the new version of Disneyland is meant to be a commentary on capitalism and consumerism. For those individuals aching to buy their way into the dystopian Disneyland that Banksy has built, well, they are being laughed at by those who truly understand what the Disneyland exhibition is all about. By searching through the Dismaland hashtags on Twitter, one becomes quickly aware of the nature of Banksy’s latest endeavor, and it begs the question, Do citizens really know what they are attempting to buy into?
If you are searching for #Dismaland tickets you are very much part of the exhibition already
— Phil Cross (@Photomagraph) August 21, 2015
Surely I’m not the only one who sees the irony in #Dismaland? People buying tickets to view a piece of art about consumerism?
— Sophie ?? (@Filthy_Paws) August 21, 2015
Banksy’s point is certainly being made as more and more individuals comment on the irony of the situation. After all, the artist is well-known for his political and anti-capitalist views. Banksy has created his version of Disneyland, rightly named Dismaland, as a place where your “dreams go to die”. This statement sheds some light on the level of political corruption that exists in our society, and there is no doubt that this new version of Disneyland has certainly come at a very timely moment. With the Greek deficit being a recent point of discussion and debate, Banksy depicts the pain that comes with having to deal with capitalist overlords. An article by Max Leighton on the CBC News website sheds some light on what it looks like inside Dismaland.
A person looking to purchase tickets is directly told not to expect anything amusing within the park. In fact, even the ticket-purchasing process turned out to be quite a nightmare. After waiting on the website for Banksy’s Disneyland spoof for a considerable amount of time, many people were forced to face the misery that came with the site’s crash.
The most ironic part about Banksy’s Disneyland installation is that the entire project, which prides itself on its anarchistic nature, and obvious resentment towards capitalism, is in fact put on by a millionaire artist. Banksy is charging people in order to educate them about consumerism. Is the artist Banksy truly teaching us a valuable lesson about our world through his Disneyland spoof, or is he simply monetizing off of us? It’s hard to say, but what can be said for sure is that many are expressing their strong desire to get a taste of Banksy’s version of Disneyland.
If someone takes me to Dismaland, I’ll love you forever and probably be your best friend
— Bernie Sanders Jr. (@Steven_Young_Jr) August 20, 2015
[Images by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images]
