Thinking Hands: Inside THEA, Groningen’s New Cultural Destination Exploring the Intelligence of the Human Body | RED•EYE

As technology increasingly shapes how we think, communicate and make decisions, what happens to the knowledge held by our bodies? This is the question at the heart of Thinking Hands, the latest exhibition presented by Noorderlicht, marking the opening of THEA, a new cultural venue housed within the former Niemeyer tobacco factory in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Running from 12 September to 1 November 2026, the exhibition brings together photography, moving image and interactive installations to explore the intelligence of the human body, focusing on the gestures, movements and tactile experiences through which we understand the world.

Inspired by Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa’s concept of the “thinking hand”, the exhibition challenges the growing dependence on digital systems and artificial intelligence, proposing that knowledge is not exclusively intellectual but also physical, emotional and deeply embodied. Across the exhibition, visitors encounter works by an international group of artists, including Paul Kooiker, Martha Rosler, Laure Prouvost, Jane Jin Kaisen and Martina Bacigalupo. Their practices approach the body from different perspectives, from communication and craftsmanship to domestic labour, collective memory and care.

Paul Kooiker’s Talking Hands explores how gestures become an extension of language, while Martha Rosler’s iconic 1975 video Semiotics of the Kitchen transforms everyday kitchen utensils into a powerful commentary on gender roles and domestic expectations. Elsewhere, Jane Jin Kaisen’s Halmang documents generations of women divers from Jeju Island, highlighting the knowledge preserved through shared labour and inherited gestures.

Technology also takes centre stage. Kvam/Oldereid’s Requiem for an Exit presents a four-metre-tall robotic installation that speaks through an AI-generated voice and projected face, questioning responsibility and the relationship between technology and human violence. Meanwhile, Chelsi Alise Cocking’s interactive installation Illuminate transforms visitors’ movements into luminous trails, turning the body itself into a digital instrument of expression.

Beyond the exhibition, THEA represents an exciting addition to the Netherlands’ cultural landscape. Located within the industrial architecture of the former Niemeyer factory, the venue offers a new destination for contemporary art, experimentation and interdisciplinary cultural encounters.

Thinking Hands also acts as a prelude to Noorderlicht’s PLAY Biennale in summer 2027, extending its investigation into how we experience, interpret and interact with an increasingly technological world.

Ultimately, the exhibition offers a timely reminder: before machines learned to think, human hands already knew how to create, communicate and care.

RED•EYE WORLD