Born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Thiago Barbalho has lived in São Paulo for 13 years. Cacimba Nova is his new exhibition project in Jardim do Seridó, his mother's hometown, which stems from the artist's desire to strengthen the visual references of his place of origin in the state and at the same time affirm the mass culture of the capitals of the North-East.
Barbalho recently visited the Mirador archaeological site in Lajedo de Soledade, where there are a large number of cave paintings, and this, together with his experience of countryside culture and the popular stores selling things made in China, such as saint images and objects and utensils, are the starting points for the production of new works. According to Barbalho: "Seeing myself as an artist with this reference made me return to handicraft work and think about the idea of mixture, as opposed to purity within my work."
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The Cacimba Nova exhibition brings together 16 drawings on paper. Some of them are made on handmade banana fiber paper, a material that reflects the artist's interest in handmade or manual processes. Drawing, as Barbalho's preferred medium, is the result of a work process that prioritizes what is "most accessible, cheapest and available for something to be built". This experimental exhibition process is part of a wider body of work that is also unfolding in a solo exhibition at the Nara Roesler gallery in São Paulo.