Elizabeth Xi Bauer is proud to announce the co-representation of artist Thiago Barbalho. Known for his richly layered works that explore language, visual symbolism, and metaphysical inquiry, Barbalho brings to the gallery a deeply reflective and dynamic practice that traverses drawing, writing, and philosophical exploration through his intricate and evocative compositions.
Thiago Barbalho is co-represented with Nara Roesler, one of Brazil’s leading contemporary galleries, founded in 1989. Nara Roesler is based in São Paulo and expanded to Rio de Janeiro in 2014. In 2015, it was the first Brazilian gallery to open a space in New York. The gallery works with seminal Brazilian artists and a new generation of established artists.
Recently opened, Chants debuted Barbalho’s first solo exhibition with Elizabeth Xi Bauer. This exhibition follows Barbalho’s time in Elizabeth Xi Bauer’s residency studio. Chants will continue until the 19th July and is part of the Deptford X festival 2025 as a fringe venue.
Working across a variety of materials and mediums, Barbalho’s works feature an array of symbols, motifs, and references that weave together fragmented narratives in vivid colour. Marked by his background in philosophy, anthropology, and law, Barbalho’s practice becomes a space of slow revelation, where thought and material coalesce into symbolic fields of spiritual and cognitive resistance.
With influences ranging from Brazilian handcraft traditions to continental philosophy, his works unfold with the density of poetry and the rhythm of ritual. Barbalho creates what he terms ‘visual writing’—artworks that speak beyond language, demanding time, contemplation, and sensory immersion.
Chants exhibits vibrant mark-making, cryptic symbolism, and a fiercely intellectual gaze. Compositions are meticulous yet intuitive, chaotic yet contemplative. Barbalho’s works prompt reflection on the tension between meaning and its visual representation.
‘In an era overwhelmed by visual and informational noise, Barbalho’s works attempt to arrange these disparate elements aesthetically, functioning as altars to the possibility of meaning amid fragmentation. They invite viewers to engage in prolonged observation, resisting the immediacy of contemporary visual consumption.’ - Chants exhibition text by Dr Jamille Pinheiro Dias.
Barbalho first exhibited with Elizabeth Xi Bauer in 2023, in a duo exhibition, Phantom Dance, and in 2025, in the Inaugural Exhibition of Elizabeth Xi Bauer’s second London space. Having exhibited in Portugal, the UK, and across Brazil, Barbalho’s recent solo exhibitions include Secrets and Spells at Nara Roesler, São Paulo, and Cacimba Nova in Jardim do Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Barbalho’s works are in the collections of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil and Instituto Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil.
In 2019, Barbalho was nominated for the PIPA Prize. The PIPA Prize recognises prominent Brazilian visual artists. Providing space for exchange, critical thinking and artistic experimentation, in 2017, Barbalho completed a residency at Pivô Arte e Pesquisa, São Paulo, Brazil.
Later this year, Barbalho will undertake a residency at Further On Air, New York. The residency provides the opportunity for deepening engagement with nature and site-responsive processes, with its location in Long Island. It aims to support contemporary artists, providing them a space for reflection and the development of new works.
A writer and artist, Barbalho has published short stories, novels and poetry. Barbalho founded the independent press Edições Vira-lata. His artworks are featured across various publications including Phaidon’s 2021 publication, Vitamin D3, Today’s Best in Contemporary Drawing. Barbalho’s work is featured in Dreams in the Sun – Mirages of Art in Latin America, published in 2024. The publication features around 140 artists showcasing Latin American creativity from 1900 to 2024.
