In an era where artificial intelligence and automation take the lead in production, can turning back to the raw and patient power of the human hand transform into a radical act? Elizabeth Xi Bauer, one of London’s dynamic art destinations, leaves us with exactly this question through its exhibition Hand in Hand, which prepares to open its doors this week. Bringing together the practices of Brazilian artists Lidia Lisbôa and Thiago Barbalho, the exhibition dissects manual labor not as a temporary trend or a stylistic category, but as a method of resistance, deepening, and understanding the world.
Hand in Hand celebrates not only the physical labor of both artists over materials but also the common ground in their perspectives on life. The artistic dialogue between the duo begins with Barbalho recognizing in Lisbôa’s works the traces of his own immigrant experiences, the restrictions imposed by class systems, and the struggle to access creativity. Against today’s digital saturation, this exhibition presents slowness not as a nostalgic longing, but as a conscious decision made to preserve the depth of art.
Lidia Lisbôa: Memory of Touch and Lived Experience
Blending ceramics, textiles, sculpture, drawing, and performance, Lidia Lisbôa’s production feeds on the daily rhythm of her studio. The artist’s new body of work prepared for the gallery took shape during an artist-in-residence program she completed at Elizabeth Xi Bauer’s Deptford studio just before the exhibition. Lisbôa reworks fabrics—which she views as carriers of personal histories and craft traditions—giving them a new life. In particular, the artist’s knotted fabric works in her Teta series and the ceramic termite mounds in her Cupinzeiros series, which she has sustained since 1996, prove how materials transform into organic memory mechanisms through the human hand. Tactile elements become the canvas for the body and lived experiences.
Thiago Barbalho: The Psychedelic Universe Between Mind and Body
Thiago Barbalho, on the other hand, constructs layered universes on paper using colored pencils, graphite, spray paint, and markers. Intertwining colors and references, these psychedelic narratives subvert the familiar relationship between figure and background. For Barbalho, drawing is not merely creating an image; it is a concrete trace of consciousness, existence, and the mind-body relationship on paper. While the artist references the spiritual power of creation through his new monumental-scale drawings produced for this exhibition, he also brings the core metaphor of the showcase to life with a sculpture series depicting hands holding each other.
Barbalho’s dune drawings, adorned with fine craftsmanship, establish a flawless visual rhyme with Lisbôa’s ceramic mounds and knotted weavings.
Attention and Focus: Rare Gems
Instead of directly responding to each other’s works in the exhibition, Lisbôa and Barbalho progress through parallel methods and conceptual frameworks. They allow connections to surface slowly and over time, rather than in a rush. Actions that span across time—such as tying knots, scratching, and drawing millimeter-precise lines—form the spine of both practices.
Hand in Hand re-proclaims two things we search for with a candle in contemporary society—uninterrupted attention and deep focus—as vital resources. If your path takes you to London this summer, make sure to visit Elizabeth Xi Bauer to witness this unique gathering at Exmouth Market and to slow down in the timeless world of manual labor.
Exhibition Details:
- Venue: Elizabeth Xi Bauer, Exmouth Market, London (with Deptford Studio residency context)
- Artists: Lidia Lisbôa & Thiago Barbalho
- Exhibition Title: Hand in Hand
- Dates: Opening June 2026 (On view June 26 – August 9, 2026)
- Admission: Open to the public
