Jeff Gillette
Jeff Gillette (born 1959) is a contemporary American artist in Southern California. He is known for his "slumscape" paintings, which feature Disney characters in dystopian settings. He was among the artists featured in Banksy’s 2015 Dismaland theme park installation.
Gillette was born in 1959 and grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. He cited the TV show "The Wonderful World of Disney" as an early source of creative inspiration. During a 1978 visit to Disneyland, he reportedly found the park's atmosphere unconvincing and left after a 30-minute stay. As an artist, he remained interested in Disney characters, especially Mickey Mouse.
Gillette dropped out of college in 1982 and traveled widely, visiting locations including the Himalayas and Calcutta, India (present-day Kolkata). He later became a volunteer with the Peace Corps. Many of the "slumscapes" he paints are directly inspired by the residential slums he witnessed in his extensive travels.
After moving for a teaching position in Orange County, California (where Disneyland is based), he became inspired to combine the two distinct aesthetics of residential wastelands and theme parks in his work.
Gillette is a self-described pessimist, influenced by the writings of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. He describes his work as "taking the things people love and imposing the worst-case scenario [on them]"
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