Banksy-Themed Nightclub Is A No-Holds-Barred Shrine For The Mysterious Artist
If you’re hoping to squeeze as many experiences into a visit to a new city as possible, there’s a new club in Mazatlán, Mexico, that could give you the cocktail of art and night entertainment you might be looking for.
Banksy Social Club, as discovered by Daniel Maurer 0f The Art Newspaper, pays unorthodox homage to the elusive street artist with its galleries of (unofficial) prints and motifs peppered around its premises. The establishment—which has no association with the eponymous artist—only opened in March 2021, so tourists trickling into the city might still be in the dark of its existence.
The nightclub’s owner, hospitality group Grupo Marea, said the venture is “an eclectic homage to rebellious art.”
The Banksy Social Club in Mazatlan, Mexico, is not officially licensed. But as one of Banksy’s stencils famously declared, “Copyright is for losers.” https://t.co/ptjYBUg6AC
— The Art Newspaper (@TheArtNewspaper) January 4, 2022
In Mazatlán, whose art scene isn’t noted as a tourism core, the building sticks out with its colored palm trees, labeled with words like “Happiness” and “Street Art,” and Banksy- and Keith Haring-themed graffiti.
As detailed by Maurer, the walls aren’t the only nods at the great work of the anonymous artist. Waiters, for instance, carry drink trays shaped like missiles reminiscent of the one in Banksy’s Heavy Weaponry, while other staffers wield signs spelling out “BANKSY.”
You’ll start your evening by entering through the gift shop—and once you’re down that rabbit hole, you’ll find yourself in a wonderland where bootleg Banksy pieces meet, including a red telephone box, a replica of Flower Thrower, and an angel sculpture.
Oddly enough, one of the club’s icons is its lineup of hosts dressed in traditional Arabic dress and toting faux golden machine guns, who the establishment’s owners told The Art Newspaper are an attempt at depicting “cultural diversity.”
When asked how their muse might perceive the grand, supposed tribute, the organizers said the club celebrates “art in all of its expressions, with references to various trends and artists from a diversity of genres.”
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[via The Art Newspaper, images via Banksy Social Club]
