BANKSY (b.1974), AFTER Choose Your Weapon. Special «Dismaland» edition

Special «Dismaland» edition offered sporadically throughout Banksy’s 2015 «Dismaland» installation signed in plate ‘BANKSY’ (lower right); inscribed ‘Enjoy Your Free Art !!!/ Banksy is Dismal’, indistincly hand-numbered’8/50’ (?); stamp ‘Dismaland’ (on the reverse) two-color spray/stencil on repurposed cardboard 29 x 20 cm (à vue) 2015 ‘Dismaland’ was a temporary art project organized by street artist Banksy, constructed in the seaside resort town 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 21 August 2015 and closed permanently on 27 September 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 «Dismayland» 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. Choose Your Weapon, also known as CYW, is a portrayal of British disaffected youth and gang culture whose aggressive dogs have become weaponry in their quest for power. The naïve style of the dog further evokes the detachment to the reality of a weapons ability.