Screenprint
2004
Edition of 600, unsigned with Pest Control
76cm x 51cm
Banksy’s Barcode is a striking example of his ability to blend visual simplicity with potent social commentary. The artwork features a large barcode transformed into a cage, from which a group of wild animals—often depicted as leopards or panthers—appear to be escaping. Through this imagery, Banksy critiques consumerism, capitalism, and the commodification of life, suggesting that even nature is not free from the grip of market forces. The barcode, a symbol of mass production and control, becomes a metaphorical prison, while the fleeing animals represent resistance, freedom, and the natural world’s rebellion against human-imposed systems. Like much of Banksy's work, Barcode uses clever visual metaphor to spark reflection on the ways in which society is constrained by commercial and institutional structures.
Screenprint
2004
Edition of 600, unsigned with Pest Control
76cm x 51cm
Banksy’s Barcode is a striking example of his ability to blend visual simplicity with potent social commentary. The artwork features a large barcode transformed into a cage, from which a group of wild animals—often depicted as leopards or panthers—appear to be escaping. Through this imagery, Banksy critiques consumerism, capitalism, and the commodification of life, suggesting that even nature is not free from the grip of market forces. The barcode, a symbol of mass production and control, becomes a metaphorical prison, while the fleeing animals represent resistance, freedom, and the natural world’s rebellion against human-imposed systems. Like much of Banksy's work, Barcode uses clever visual metaphor to spark reflection on the ways in which society is constrained by commercial and institutional structures.