Layers of Being: Image and Soul – Hu Shunxiang, Chen Hongzhi, Clemens Krauss

Leo Gallery Shanghai
March 8 – April 20, 2025

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download press release [PDF]
download exhibition catalogue [PDF]

The exhibition Layers of Being: Image and Soul curated by the art historian Tereza de Arruda and conceived for the Leo Gallery in Shanghai brings together for the first time the works of three artists united in their shared exploration of the human figure and identity through painting—Hu Shunxiang, Chen Hongzhi, and Clemens Krauss—to explore the profound connection between the external image and the internal essence of human experience.

Through their distinct approaches to portraiture and figuration, the artists delve into the interplay of surface and depth, physicality and emotion, revealing intimate layers of identity and being involved in layers of pictorical features while blending traditional and contemporary techniques to challenge the boundaries of representation.

Yet they diverge in their approaches—Hu through introspective subtlety and fluidity, Chen via the interplay of abstraction and collective representation, and Krauss with raw psychological intensity and bold expression. Layers of Being: Image and Soul serves as a meeting point between worlds each bringing distinct histories, philosophies, and visual languages. In this exhibition, these cultural approaches do not stand in opposition but instead enrich one another, creating a space where identity transcends geographical borders.

Together, the paintings by Hu Shunxiang, Chen Hongzhi and Clemens Krauss create a cross-cultural dialogue that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, offering a shared language of artistic humanity. Layers of Being: Image and Soul invites viewers to not only see the image but to feel the soul behind each brushstroke, fostering a deeper understanding of what it means to be seen, felt, and understood.

Teilnehmende Künstler*innen/ Participating artists: Tino Bittner, Kerstin Borchardt, Maik Buttler, Annette Czerny, Christine de Boom, Boris Duhm, Jacqueline Duhr, Ulrike Freiberg, Sally Frey, Felix Fugenzahn, Helge Griem, Jakob Grosse-Ophoff, Gerald Hross, Hundrich, Felix Jess, Claudia Kapellusch, Christoph Knitter, Anka Kröhnke, Berit Kröner, Christine Lengtat, Annette Leyener, Anne Martin, Carmen Mcpherson, Sieglinde Mix, Britta Naumann, Gudrun Brigitta Nöh, Monika Ortmann, Silke Paustian, Susanne Pfeiffer, Udo Richter, Bernadette Maria Roolf, Stefanie Rübensaal, Erik Ruettler, Wilfried Schröder, Ramona Seyfarth, Petra Steeger, Klaus-Dieter Steinberg, Lisa Maria Steude, Olaf Thaler, Isabella Trybulla, Iris Vitzthum, Iris Vom Stein, Niklas Washausen, Christin Waterstrat, Anne Wende, Jan Witte-Kropius, Regina Zacharski, Ruziga Zajec und Janet Zeugner 

Layers of Being: Image and Soul – Hu Shunxiang, Chen Hongzhi, Clemens Krauss
Leo Gallery Shanghai, China
March 8 – April 20, 2025