During the early seventies, Jaume Xifra worked with ‘poor’ materials and impossible objects to critique the world of consumerism. Barbed wire is used to render a series of domestic objects devoid of their real function. Here, he presents a barrier of the kind used to close access or to protect pedestrians, its significance reinforced by the barbed wire that serves as a deterrent for all those who approach or want to touch it. The artist’s penchant for humour and absurdity is evident in this object of control, often used by the police, that is trapped in its own repressive situation.