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How Banksy’s 2015 amusement park parody Dismaland transformed a gallery founder’s view of exhibitions

Banksy’s Dismaland turned a disused outdoor swimming pool complex in the UK into a parody of an amusement park, complete with works by 58 artists

Tim Yu, founder and director of Hong Kong contemporary art space JPS Gallery, explains how it made him realise that an exhibition’s main aim shouldn’t be sales

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A mermaid sculpture sits in front of a fairy castle at Banksy’s Dismaland amusement park parody in Weston-super-Mare, England, in 2015. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 5:15pm, 31 Jan 2024

Pseudonymous graffiti legend Banksy’s so-called bemusement park, Dismaland, transformed a disused outdoor swimming pool complex in the British seaside town of Weston-super-Mare into a parody of an amusement park for 36 days in 2015, complete with works by 58 artists, many of them bitingly satirical of consumerism and contemporary society.

Tim Yu, founder and director of Hong Kong contemporary art space JPS Gallery, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life.

I first saw street art when I was a university student in Adelaide, Australia. I found out about New York artists such as Futura and Kaws. And then there was this guy called Banksy.

He’s a little bit different – all his works talk about social issues, rather than just being tags.

To enter Dismaland, visitors had to go through a mock security control. Photo: Getty Images

I had a chance to go to London in 2015 and see his work with my own eyes. I was new to the art industry at that time. I knew that Dismaland was happening (in Weston-super-Mare) at the same time, so I just booked a ticket and headed there before going to the Barcelona Art Fair.

In Bristol (Banksy’s hometown, in southwestern England, near Weston-super-Mare), I saw many Banksy pieces on the street. No words could express my feelings, especially when I went to Dismaland.