Banksy Opens Dystopian Hotel Near Bethlehem Separation Wall
Graffiti artist Banksy has opened a new inn in Bethlehem, located right by the barrier wall that separates Palestinian territories from Israel.
The ten-roomed Walled-off Hotel opened on Friday and is littered with the anonymous artist’s work. As the Guardian reports, Banksy’s team hopes the hotel will become a source of revenue for the town — whose economy has languished due strict Israeli controls. The rooms will be open for bookings on its website later in March, according to the Guardian.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Banksy reportedly said: “Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before Trump made it cool.”
The hotel was built in secrecy over the past 14 months and was converted from a pottery workshop. Styled to look like to “an English gentlemen’s club from colonial times,” the Walled-off Hotel hopes to spark dialogue, evidenced through its choice of artwork: Every room has what is touted as the “worst view in the world,” which is the 8-meter high concrete barrier.
"The worst view in the world" Banksy says of the view from his new hotel in Bethlehem pic.twitter.com/FQFQFWvCBJ
— Emma Graham-Harrison (@_EmmaGH) March 3, 2017
There are also statues chocking on teargas, a painting of Jesus with a laser target on his forehead, a trophy wall of security cameras and an exhibition dedicated to the wall, that features art made by Israelis and Palestinians.
#banksy #Jesus with a laser target on his forehead? Next to drones and cameras #C4News The Walled Off Hotel's most provocative image? pic.twitter.com/fyRJBvyzNT
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) March 3, 2017
#Banksy Bethlehem pic.twitter.com/x74J8nM3bz
— Emma Graham-Harrison (@_EmmaGH) March 3, 2017
#Banksy #Hotel – The Walled Off Hotel – #Bethlehem – #BanksyHotel #political #streetart #graffiti #art #popart #urbanart #contemporaryart pic.twitter.com/Xim1DijvfR
— The Contemporary (@Chesterart92) March 3, 2017
This is the artist’s first major project since his 2015 Dismaland theme park in the British town of Weston-super-Mare.