Corbin Shaw uses his artwork to ignite dialogue around key societal issues affecting the most vulnerable people in the UK. He’s previously made football flags and beer mats calling out toxic masculinity, and reimagined tabloid headlines as a swipe at exploitation culture. The artist’s latest work is a giant egg titled, Tagged. Created as part of The Big Egg Hunt – a city-wide initative featuring giant eggs decorated by artists and auctioned to raise funds for The Elephant Trust – Shaw’s hand-painted egg is covered in a metal cage with an anti-theft tag, directly referencing the supermarket security coverings that were once only found on high-risk items such as video games and champagne, but can now be found covering basic household goods such as butter and even baby formula. This trend emphasises the deeply depressing reality of food poverty in the UK and the current living crisis. Aptly located inside the Barbican Arts Centre, originally constructed as a revolutionary post-war building estate, Shaw’s artwork raises awareness for the food bank network and is accompanied by a QR code to donate towards the Independent Food Aid Network.

Alex James Taylor: How did you get involved with the initiative?
Corbin Shaw: The art director reached out to us and it seemed like a great opportunity to present something to a wider community. From the get-go, I knew I wanted to focus on making something that would spark conversation and raise money for a cause closer to home alongside the Elephant charity. Last year, we worked with the North Paddington Food Bank [NPFB] on our “No Food in the House” campaign. So when I had the idea for the caged egg, with the focus on food poverty in the current state of the country, it was natural to get Thomas and his team at NPFB involved. 

“I was struck by the sense of a capitalist dystopia unfolding before us.”

AJT: Can you take us through the concept behind the work?
CS: Supermarkets have long used security measures, like tags, on higher-priced items. However in recent years, many major supermarkets have gone a step further, encasing products in tagged metal cages on the shelves to deter shoplifting. As I saw items like baby formula locked in individual security cages, I was struck by the sense of a capitalist dystopia unfolding before us. It made me wonder how far these security measures might go in the future – perhaps even to the point of caging individual eggs. It didn’t seem so far-fetched to imagine a not-too-distant future where every product on the shelf was behind its own cage.

AJT: Why is it so vital to support the Food Bank Network and the Independent Food Aid Network in today’s UK?
CS: It’s crucial to support the food bank network because times are tough for many people right now. Things were already difficult, and they’re only getting worse. With Keir Starmer making significant cuts to the benefits system, it will have devastating effects on the most vulnerable in this country. This country feels incredibly heartless. There is a plaque alongside the egg with a QR code to donate to the network, this means any funds raised will be distributed with the Independent Food Aid Network to support UK households facing hardship.

“This country feels incredibly heartless.”

AJT: And why the Barbican? What does the building represent to you?
CS: I’ve been fascinated by it ever since I moved to London – the history, the architecture, the programming, the carpets. When I was asked to participate in this project, they mentioned the Barbican in the first email, and I was dead set on having my egg in the reception.

AJT: Lastly, how do you like your eggs?
CS: Scrambled on toast… and at an accessible price.