Barcode and Leopard
Leopard and Barcode
Year: 2002
Medium: Stencil spray-paint on canvas
Dimensions: 43×51 cm (16 15/16 x 20 1/16 inches)
Edition: Edition of 5
Stencil-signed “BANKSY” on the overlap
Further signed, dated, numbered /5, and inscribed “LA” on the reverse
Exhibition History
Existencilism, 33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles, 2002
Auction History
Auction House: Bonhams London
Date: 29 March 2012
Price realized: GBP 75,650 / USD 99,195
Barcode Leopard shows a majestic leopard in the foreground who just escaped from his cage, resembling a barcode on wheels. At first sight, this visual is a clear criticism on the way humans use animals for their own entertainment, having created zoos or sea-parks. The barcode serves as a symbol of consumerism and capitalism. The leopard is demonstrating we all can free ourselves from the power of consumerism. This image is also visually striking, made of the juxtaposition of the leopard’s random spots with to the barcode’s structured linear combination. The big cat embodies the diversity of form, whereas the barcode represents the homogeneity created by consumerism.
This very rare edition on canvas has been exhibited at the first Banksy solo-show, held in Los Angeles at 33 1/3 Gallery, entitled “Existencilism“. Banksy would come back in 2006 and create history in Los Angeles with his Barely Legal Exhibit.
