Thiago Barbalho

Thiago Barbalho

As a writer and visual artist, Thiago Barbalho found in drawing a means of expression that allowed him to overcome a writer’s block. Working in different dimensions and with different materials (coloured pencils, graphite, spray, oil, oil pastel, and marker on paper), his compositions propose intricate universes of form, where shapes, references and colours intertwine to form somewhat psychedelic narratives that challenge the relation between figure and background. Barbalho understands drawing as an ancestral technology, which spans ages and cultures. The artist’s visual research seeks to understand drawing as the sign of a presence and the relationship between the mind—imagination—and the body.—gesture—, between consciousness and reality.

The artist lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil. Barbalho studied at University Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Graduating with a degree in Philosophy followed by a MA in History of Metaphysics and a degree in Law, in 2010. A writer and artist, Barbalho has published short stories, novels and poetry, and 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 and Dreams in the Sun – Mirages of Art in Latin America, published in 2024. In 2019, Barbalho was nominated for the PIPA Prize. Barbalho’s works have been exhibited across Brazil, Europe and the United Kingdom, and are included in the collections of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil and Instituto Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil.  

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Works
Compulsive Chewing Compulsive Chewing
Compulsive Chewing 2020-2023
Hands with Grains of Sand Hands with Grains of Sand
Hands with Grains of Sand 2023
Tablete mágico Tablete mágico
Tablete mágico 2024
Naked Selfie Naked Selfie
Naked Selfie 2023
Untitled Untitled
Untitled 2023
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Video
Video
Interview with Thiago Barbalho
Thiago Barbalho’s 'Chants' explores the intersections of visual language and ancestral technology, weaving together personal history, mass culture, spiritual practice, and philosophical inquiry. Drawing from a rich range of influences, the Brazilian artist transforms experience into intricate visual compositions that question the boundaries of writing, communication, and scale. At the core of the exhibition is Barbalho’s concept of visual writing as ancestral technology. Drawing—mark-making in its most elemental form—is presented as a primordial tool, predating conventional writing. In this context, the act of drawing is inseparable from writing; each gesture, each word, becomes a symbol imbued with meaning. Barbalho’s work frames drawing as a technology that has accompanied humanity since time immemorial— enduring, immediate, and accessible. By using mass-produced tools like coloured pencils and markers, his work underscores the direct connection between thought, gesture, and material form, reaffirming drawing as both an ancient practice and a vital contemporary medium. Credits: Elizabeth Xi Bauer Gallery
Exhibitions
Chants
Chants
16 May - 19 Jul 2025
Phantom Dance
Phantom Dance
21 Apr - 3 Jun 2023