Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker’s black-and-white portrait series, Talking Hands, is currently featured in the Thinking Hands exhibition at THEA, a new art venue in Groningen, the Netherlands. The exhibition, open until November 1, explores the ways in which human physicality conveys meaning beyond spoken language, against the backdrop of increasing reliance on digital technology.

Kooiker’s photographs capture his subjects mid-conversation, focusing on their hand gestures and body language. The images highlight subtle, often subconscious communication: fingers pointing, thumbs grazing chins, clasped palms. These intimate moments emphasize the unspoken, tactile nuances of human interaction that resist replication by computers or artificial intelligence.

The exhibition takes inspiration from Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa’s writings, which emphasize the body’s innate knowledge—sensory and instinctive understanding that occurs before conscious thought. Thinking Hands includes photography, video, and installations designed to probe what is lost when society increasingly delegates cognition and connection to technological intermediaries.

Curated by Noorderlicht, with Roosje Klap and Musoke Nalwoga overseeing Kooiker’s contribution, the show questions the consequences of neglecting the body’s role in communication and creativity. Exhibition materials note that while some artworks prominently feature hands, others only hint at their presence through residual traces, underscoring the complex ways physical expression informs perception and interaction.

Thinking Hands is part of a broader artistic inquiry into the embodied experience and challenges contemporary culture’s growing dependency on digital interfaces, inviting viewers to consider the value of physical gestures and sensory knowledge in human exchanges.