Han Shen

Tanya Leighton, Berlin is pleased to present Desires Are Already Memories, a solo exhibition by Berlin-based artist Han Shen.

The exhibition explores the intricate interplay between longing and remembering, inspired by Italo Calvino’s evocative tales in Invisible Cities. The title itself, a contemplative line from Calvino’s 1972 novel, encapsulates the essence of how our deepest yearnings, once fulfilled, become memories. The traveller, upon reaching Isidora after years of wandering, finds that his youthful desires have transformed into mere memories—a duality that forms the core of Shen’s exploration.

Shen’s paintings are a visual symphony of fragmented landscapes, where the interplay of colour, form, and gesture invites viewers into a space where time and emotion converge. The unprimed canvas, with its subtle warmth, serves as a foundational element in his exploration of memory and desire. White, not merely an absence, acts as a high note, lifting and highlighting saturated hues, while the interaction of colour spots, lines, and canvas texture creates a complex relationship of positive and negative spaces.

Han Shen (b. 1988 in Hangzhou, China) lives and works in Berlin. He graduated from Universität der Künste, Berlin in 2017.

Solo exhibitions include ‘Room #5’at Kewenig, Berlin; ‘West Lake’ at Paris-B, Paris in 2023; ‘Intimate Morphology’ at Vacancy, Shanghai in 2019; ‘The Trajectory of Dream’ at Galerie Paris-Beijing, Paris in 2019, and ‘Open Up’ at Edmond Gallery, Berlin in 2018.

His work has been part of group exhibitions at Spoiler, Berlin; PM/AM, London; Hua International, Berlin; He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen; Aurora Museum, Shanghai; Tansbao Gallery, Taipei; Qiao Space, Shanghai; König Galerie, Berlin; Galerie Anette Müller, Düsseldorf; Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok, and Wuhan Art Museum, Hubei, among many others.

Shen’s work is included in the permanent collections of Aurora Museum, Shanghai, and Wuhan Art Museum, Hubei.