The Holding Hands series originated from a sculpture installed in Hoxton Square in September 2020, produced by Stik in collaboration with Hackney Council. The print is available in red, orange, blue, yellow and teal, and as a complete set, Stik endeavoured to deliver a copy of the print to every household in the area as a gift. The print depicts two stick figures of equal height holding hands, both looking sidewards apprehensively.

There is a tension between connection and separation in the work; while the couple hold hands, the figures look away in opposite directions, as if anticipating a separation. The expected separation not only exists in the oppositional gazes, but also in the figures’ physicality: their knees point away from each other. Nevertheless, their hands are securely intertwined, bringing the stickmen into unison; according to the artist, “they are holding hands in a sign of universal love and solidarity”.