A single palm swung into the void changes nothing; it simply gets lost in the wind. For the sound, the reflection, and the actual battle to begin, there is always a need for a second skin—that inevitable moment of friction. Elizabeth Xi Bauer at Exmouth Market in London feeds on precisely this point of friction with its upcoming exhibition, Hand in Hand. On view from June 26 to August 9, 2026, this gathering brings together the brand-new works of Lidia Lisbôa and Thiago Barbalho, centering on that stubborn, physical bond established with materials, moving far beyond merely holding hands.
Not a Decorative Style, But a Savage Method
The practices of Lisbôa and Barbalho rise entirely on handmade processes, patience, and bodily labor. However, the emphasis on the “handmade” here is not used to confine the exhibition to a cute or decorative category of style; on the contrary, it confronts us as a harsh working method shaped by endlessly recurring repetitions and seamless focus. The artists do not just wrestle with the material; through the transformative power of hands, they deeply shake the ingrained aesthetic values that the art world takes for granted. Because this concept, which pushes the boundaries of collective production, is not a well-behaved idea that can be domesticated and exhausted inside a single exhibition room, it continues on its path with a new narrative at every stop.
What emerges when solo practices, accustomed to speaking only their own language in the sterile loneliness of their own studios, begin to share the same walls? A flawless choir, or a chaotic whisper cutting through each other’s sentences? Elizabeth Xi Bauer’s galleries gamble on this uncertainty. When distinct artistic reflexes that do not completely understand each other’s words—or perhaps do not even want to—stand in the same corridor, what surfaces is not a blind compromise, but a tense conversation.
The Raw Memory in Palms
The hand itself is already the rawest, most uncanny memory reservoir of human history. From those first muddy palms pressed against walls in the darkness of the Lascaux cave, to Rodin’s deafening narratives that cast the torso aside to leave everything solely in the joints of fingers… Throughout history, the hand has been both the nakedness of the momentary action itself and a scar that continues to ache on the surface long after that action is over.
Yet, there is no coddling naivety in this exhibition’s “hand in hand” stance that promises everything will be beautiful. What we will witness at this gathering in Exmouth Market is less of a romantic touch and more of a way for stubborn natures to see, nourish, and most importantly, challenge one another. The artists have come side-by-side not to meet at a smooth middle ground, but on the contrary, to speak while preserving that immense aesthetic dynamism within the disagreement. It is an experience akin to watching separate storms collide in the same room, rather than a bland partnership.
Exhibition Details:
- Exhibition Title: Hand in Hand 2
- Artists: Lidia Lisbôa & Thiago Barbalho
- Venue: Elizabeth Xi Bauer, Exmouth Market, London
- Dates: June 26 – August 9, 2026
- Admission: Open to the public
