Li Hei Di
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| Li Hei Di | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997 Shenyang, China |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Chinese |
| 🏫 Education | Maryland Institute College of Art; Chelsea College of Arts; Royal College of Art |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Notable work | Held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art, the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, among others |
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Li Hei Di (born 1997) is a Chinese painter based in London, England.[1] Li uses they/them pronouns.[2]
Early life and education
Li was born in 1997 in Shenyang, China.[3] They left home as a teenager for a student exchange program in Ohio, then attended Idyllwild Arts in Southern California.[4] Li received a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts in London in 2020, having also studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and completed an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London in 2022.[5]
Career
Li's first solo exhibition was held at Linseed Projects in Shanghai in 2022.[6] This was followed by solo exhibitions at Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles (2023) and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London (2024), the latter being Li's first European solo show.[7]
In September 2024, Pace Gallery announced it would represent Li alongside their existing galleries, making Li, then 27, the youngest artist on Pace's roster.[8] In 2025, Li presented their first solo exhibition with Pace, Tongues of Flare, in Hong Kong, and their first solo institutional exhibition, at Pond Society in Shanghai, where the Pace show subsequently travelled.[9][10]
In 2024, Li was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.[11]
Work
Li's paintings intertwine biomorphic, bodily forms with atmospheric, dreamlike environments, straddling figuration and abstraction; human forms emerge gradually from layered brushwork as the viewer spends time with the canvas.[12] Li's practice explores themes of desire, gender, and emotional fluidity, drawing on literary influences including bell hooks, Byung-Chul Han, and Maggie Nelson, as well as Hong Kong wuxia films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Tsui Hark's Green Snake (1993).[13] While painting remains central to Li's practice, their work also extends to sculpture, stop-motion animation, and performance.[14]
Critical reception
Announcing Li's representation, ARTnews described their layered abstractions as conveying latent narratives about gender, desire, and emotional fluidity.[15] Reporting on a subsequent auction result, Artnet News described Li as a fast-rising market star, noting the artist's paintings frequently draw on wuxia cinema and explore themes of sexuality and desire.[16] Li has also been profiled or discussed in publications including Frieze, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Elephant Magazine, Cultured Magazine, and Ocula.[17]
Collections
Li's work is held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; the Hepworth Wakefield; the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; the Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas; the Rachofsky Collection, Dallas; the Shah Garg Foundation, New York; the Long Museum, Shanghai; the Song Art Museum, Beijing; the Tanoto Art Foundation, Singapore; and the Ueshima Museum, Tokyo.[18]
Selected solo exhibitions
- 2025 – Tongues of Flare, Pace Gallery, Hong Kong, travelled to Pond Society, Shanghai
- 2024 – 700 Nights of Winter, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
- 2023 – Oscillating Womb, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles
- 2022 – Tits at Dawn, Linseed Projects, Shanghai
Selected group exhibitions
- 2025–2026 – land marks, Pace Gallery, Los Angeles
- 2025 – A Living Collection, The Hepworth Wakefield, United Kingdom
- 2024–2025 – Abstraction (re)creation: 20 under 40, Le Consortium, Dijon, travelled to X Museum, Beijing
- 2024 – Wild: Women Abstractionists on Nature, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines
- 2023 – Home Is Where the Haunt Is, X Museum Triennial, Beijing
- 2023 – Uncanny Valley, Gagosian, Hong Kong
- 2023 – Considering Female Abstractions, Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas
References
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ Durón, Maximilíano (2024-09-26). "Emerging Artist Li Hei Di Joins Pace Gallery, Becoming the Youngest Artist on Its Roster". ARTnews. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di — Biography". Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ Durón, Maximilíano (2024-09-26). "Emerging Artist Li Hei Di Joins Pace Gallery, Becoming the Youngest Artist on Its Roster". ARTnews. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di — Biography". Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Forbes Asia. 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ Durón, Maximilíano (2024-09-26). "Emerging Artist Li Hei Di Joins Pace Gallery, Becoming the Youngest Artist on Its Roster". ARTnews. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ Chow, Vivienne (2025-10-01). "Fast-Rising Painter Li Hei Di Smashes Auction Record at Sotheby's Hong Kong". Artnet News. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
- ↑ "Li Hei Di". Pace Gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
External links
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