Gold is often perceived as a safe investment, particularly in times of political turmoil and uncertainty in the economy
- Lisa Barnard
Discover works from Lisa Barnard’s The Canary and The Hammer in a free outdoor exhibition in Soho Photography Quarter just outside the Gallery.
Gold is everywhere in modern life - a powerful symbol of value, beauty, greed and politics. In The Canary and The Hammer, Lisa Barnard explores the troubled history of gold, our reverence for it and its role in our endless pursuit of progress and wealth.
Photographed across four years and four continents, the project was prompted by the 2008 financial crisis. Barnard brings together contrasting yet intertwined stories, from ecological destruction and human exploitation in mining, to gold’s importance as an invisible component in medicine and technology.
Canaries have long been recognised for their crucial role in mines, serving as an early warning system for carbon monoxide and ensuring miners' safety. Likewise, gold is a reliable barometer of economic stability; its price consistently reflects the fluctuations of the market. Just as a canary signals impending danger, gold is a powerful indicator of upcoming crises.
Find out more about Lisa Barnard
Lisa Barnard (b.1967, UK) is an artist, researcher and teacher whose photographic practice addresses real events using traditional methods, alongside more contemporary visual and computer forms. Her work explores the current political climate and the military-industrial complex, with technological innovation, perception and new ecologies. Barnard combines her interest in aesthetics with multi-layered visual presentations.
Barnard’s work has been exhibited widely in museums and at photography festivals. She is an Associate Professor and Head of the Master’s Programme in Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales. She has published three books: Hyena of the Battlefield and Machines in the Garden (both published by GOST Books), and The Canary and The Hammer (published by MACK, 2019). Barnard won the After Nature Prize 2025 and will show the winning project at C/O Berlin in autumn 2025.
Soho Photography Quarter is developed in partnership with Westminster City Council and designed by Andreas Lechthaler Architecture.
Photographed across four years and four continents, The Canary and The Hammer details our reverence for gold and its role in humanity’s ruthless pursuit of progress. Through a mix of image, text and archival material, the third book by British artist Lisa Barnard provides a fascinating insight into the troubled history of gold and the complex ways it intersects with the global economy.
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