Under Shadows

The exhibition Under Shadows, conceived for the KORNFELD Galerie Berlin, brings together new and recent works by Tamara Kvesitadze and Shunxiang Hu — two female artists whose lives and practices are shaped by profound social and political pressures. Kvesitadze, from Georgia, works in a country currently facing mounting authoritarianism and widespread civic unrest. Hu, born during China’s One-Child Policy as a second daughter, was forced to relinquish her identity and assume another one in order to exist. Each has lived under shadow — political, cultural, personal — and through their work, each steps out of it. The two artists met in Berlin at the end of 2024, sharing an apartment and studio space provided by the gallery — far from the geographies that shaped them, yet deeply tethered to them. In this shared space of displacement and introspection, a dialogue emerged — not just between two individuals, but between generations, cultures, and artistic languages. Kvesitadze’s sculptural and painterly works explore the fragmented female body as a symbol of resistance, memory, and intimacy. Hu’s portraits, delicate and quietly expressive, reflect on identity in transition — elusive, emotional, and deeply human. The shadow becomes central in this exhibition: not simply a lack of light, but a terrain of meaning. Shadows here hold memory, speak of trauma, conceal and reveal. Under Shadows invites viewers into a space where visibility itself is precarious — where bodies, emotions, and identities appear in layered tension between what is seen and what is felt. It asks not only what lies in the shadow, but how the shadow itself speaks — of loss, transformation, and the fragile act of becoming visible. About the artists. Tamara Kvesitadze, born in Tbilisi, Georgia, studied at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Tbilisi from 1985 to 1990 and graduated with a Master's degree in Architecture in 1990. She gained international recognition for her kinetic sculptures and large-scale installations, which have been exhibited worldwide. In 2011, Kvesitadze represented Georgia with a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale, and in 2007, she was part of a group show in the Georgian Pavilion. Her works have been shown in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the USA, and at prestigious events such as Follow Georgia, 25th Anniversary, 1992–2017 in Geneva (organized by the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia for the United Nations and WIPO), as well as in exhibitions at Sotheby’s in London. Among her most famous works are the kinetic sculptures Man and Woman, which have been installed in Vietnam, China, France, New Zealand, and Georgia. In 2019, her monumental 18.5-meter-high sculpture Sigh was permanently installed in Wuxi, China. Kvesitadze’s works are held in major public and private collections worldwide. Her artistic practice has been featured in publications such as 100 Sculptures of Tomorrow (Thames & Hudson) and in international media including BBC’s In the Studio, Vogue Italia, and Le Monde. She was also the first Georgian artist to have a virtual exhibition on Google Arts and Culture. Shunxiang Hu, born in Shandong Province, China, completed her studies in oil painting at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2011 with a Bachelor's degree. She currently lives and works in Chengdu. In 2019, Hu received the ARTCLOUD China SAP Art Award and was honored in 2013 with the “Newcomer of the Year Award” for young Chinese artists as part of the Dajia “Inheritance” Awards. She also participated in the N.A.I.C PROJECT x ARTDEPOT Artist-in-Residence program (Season Two) at the Commune by the Great Wall in Beijing. In addition, she has been invited to participate in various interdisciplinary collaboration projects, including the Beijing International Design Week Expo 2018 and the design of juror certificates for the Shanghai International Advertising Awards in 2020. Her works have been exhibited at the Guangdong Museum of Art, the Lu Zhongli Museum of Art, the Shanxi Provincial Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Art Show, ART Taipei, ART021, and Art Expo Beijing. She was also invited to participate in a parallel exhibition of the 55th Venice Biennale. In 2024, her works were on view in Polyphonic Resonance at the Chun Art Museum in Shanghai and in Art Monthly: 1974–2024 at the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts in Nanjing.