Li Hei Di, Unquenchable Laughter, Inescapable Desert, 2023, oil on linen, 74 3/4 x 59 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Michael Kohn Gallery Li Hei Di Photography by Frederike Helwig Details:b. 1997, Shenyang, China Read More Li Hei Di transmutes impassioned energy into paintings that intertwine biomorphic shapes with oneiric, ethereal environments.Straddling the line between figuration and abstraction, Li's canvases reveal human appendages visible just beneath atmospheric brushstrokes that gradually emerge as the viewer engages with the work. The artist draws beauty from ephemeral moments, exploring them through texture, balance, and a palette ranging from ambient reds and oranges to saccharine pinks and purples to deep greens and blues.Li’s practice is rooted in an examination of raw desire and instinctual urges—both repressed and fulfilled—shaped by their personal history, as well as influences from literature, music, and films. Themes from the works of writers like bell hooks, Byung-Chul Han, Mo Yan, Maggie Nelson, and Paul B. Preciado as well as wuxia films of the 1980s and 90s—such as Ching Siu-tung’s A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Swordsman II: Asia the Invincible (1992), and Tsui Hark’s Green Snake (1993)—permeate their oeuvre. Li resists rigid notions of gender and sexuality, drawing queer associations from sources to produce fantastical, diaphanous compositions that bring the viewer into their world. While painting is a central medium for the artist, their practice also encompasses sculpture, stop motion animation, and performance.Li left home as a teenager to attend a one-year student exchange program in Ohio before studying at Idyllwild Arts in southern California. They received a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts, London in 2020, and completed an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London in 2022. In 2024, Li was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. Their first one-artist exhibition was held at Linseed Projects, Shanghai (2022), followed by Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles (2023) and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London (2024). Recent group exhibitions including their work have been held at Gagosian Gallery, Hong Kong (2023); Centre of International Contemporary Art, Vancouver (2023); X Museum Triennial, Beijing (2023); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2023); Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines (2024); Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2024); and GRIMM, New York (2024). Their work is held in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Long Museum, Shanghai; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and Yageo Foundation, Taipei, among others. The artist lives and works in London. Read More Li Hei Di, I’m Not Ready to be Born a Child Again, 2024, oil on canvas, 77 x 151 1/2 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery Li Hei Di, House of Small Offerings, 2024, oil on canvas, diptych, 71 x 118 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery Li Hei Di, Liquid Meadow in the Lust of Dawn, 2022, oil on canvas, 67 × 134 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery Li Hei Di, Throat Slit Opened by the Sun, 2023, oil on linen, 70 7/8 x 55 1/8 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Michael Kohn Gallery Li Hei Di, Morning Breath of the Winter Sun, 2023, oil on linen, 63 x 45 1/4 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Michael Kohn Gallery Li Hei Di, Soar on the Thermal Current, 2024, oil on canvas, 47 x 67 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery Li Hei Di, Of Mercy to Shelter and Shield, 2024. oil on linen. 55 1/8 x 139 3/4 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Michael Kohn Gallery Li Hei Di, Drowing in the Thick Air of the Dissolute, 2024, oil on canvas, 78 1/2 x 63 inches © Li Hei Di. Photo courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery Journal View All News Li Hei Di Joins Pace Gallery Sep 26, 2024 One-Artist Exhibitions Group Exhibitions Public Collections Books and Catalogues Periodicals Close Li Hei Di One-Artist Exhibitions Li Hei Di One-Artist Exhibitions DatesBorn 1997, Shenyang, ChinaLives and works in LondonEducation2022, Royal College of Art, London, M.A.2020, Chelsea College of Arts, London, B.A.2024Li Hei Di: 700 Nights of Winter, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, March 15–April 20, 2024.2023Li Hei Di: Oscillating Womb, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, November 2, 2023–January 6, 2024. (Catalogue)2022Li Hei Di: Tits at Dawn, Linseed Projects, Shanghai, November 11–December 18, 2022. Li Hei Di Group Exhibitions Li Hei Di Group Exhibitions 2024Fruit and Fruition, GRIMM, New York, June 28–August 9, 2024.“Abstraction (re)creation” 20 under 40, Le Consortium, Dijon, France, April 26–September 8, 2024.Wild: Women Abstractionists on Nature, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines, March 21–June 22, 2024.2023Inaugural Exhibition, Marquez Art Projects, Miami, opened September 23, 2023.Bordercrossing: Possibilities and Interactions, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, September 3–October 8, 2023.Home Is Where the Haunt Is, X Museum Triennial 2023, Beijing, August 27–November 26, 2023.A New Sensation, Galerie Marguo, Paris, May 11–June 24, 2023.New British Abstraction, Centre of International Contemporary Art, Vancouver, March 9–April 16, 2023. (Catalogue)Considering Female Abstractions, Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, Texas, February 11–May 21, 2023.Uncanny Valley, Gagosian, Hong Kong, January 31–March 4, 2023.Conscious Unconscious, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, January 12–February 4, 2023.2022Degree Show, Royal College of Art, London, 2022.Memories of A Social Club That Doesn’t Exist, ZERUI Gallery, London, November 19–December 15, 2022.In Defense of Secrets, Downs & Ross, New York, June 22–August 5, 2022.A/D D/A, ZERUI Gallery, London, May 13–May 28, 2022.Eyes, Dusk, Phantasmagoria, Rupture XIBIT, London, April 10–12, 2022.Phantasmata, Public Gallery, London, March 31–April 30, 2022.Self-Dismiss, Gallery Vacancy, Shanghai, January 15–March 5, 2022.2021The Glass Bead Game, MAMOTH, London, December 11, 2021–January 29, 2022.Watch the Fire from the Shore, Linseed Projects, Shanghai, November 12–December 4, 2021.4 SOLOS, Linseed Projects, West Bund Art & Design, Shanghai, November 12–14, 2021. (Catalogue)Tank Art Festival, Shanghai, September 30–October 3, 2021.Walls All Around, Fusion Design Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom, June 21–June 27, 2021.A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Shelves, Salon RT, London, opened June 6, 2021. (Catalogue)Online: Like Nothing Else in the Universe, Where is The Frame, March 18, 2021.2020We Are Done Here, Martin Goya Business, Hangzhou, China, 2020.Decadent Gaming, Linseed Projects, Shanghai, August 16–September 20, 2020.2019Can I Pay with Cash, Alexander Studios, London, 2019.MELON CAULI, Asylum Chapel, London, opened November 28, 2019.MURMURATIONS, Candid Arts Trust, London, August 31–September 8, 2019.2018Spectrum 2.0: figure and form, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, 2018.2017Juried Undergraduate Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, November 10–December 10, 2017.2016Group Exhibition, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, California, 2016.Polarized, Idyllwild Arts Foundation, Parks Exhibition Center, California, 2016. Li Hei Di Public Collections Li Hei Di Public Collections Asymmetry Art Foundation, LondonFondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, ItalyColumbus Museum of Art, OhioGreen Family Art Foundation, Dallas, TexasInstitute of Contemporary Art, MiamiLong Museum, ShanghaiLos Angeles County Museum of ArtMarquez Art Projects, MiamiThe Rachofsky House, Dallas, TexasShah Garg Foundation, New YorkYageo Foundation, Taipei Li Hei Di Books and Catalogues Li Hei Di Books 2024Oscillating Womb (exhibition catalogue). Los Angeles: Michael Kohn Gallery, 2024: illustrated.2023New British Abstraction (exhibition catalogue). Texts by Louis Blanc Franard, Matt Carey-Williams, Viahsta Yuan, and Tony Hui Cao. Vancouver: Centre of International Contemporary Art, 2023: illustrated.20214 SOLOS (exhibition catalogue). Shanghai: Linseed Projects, 2021.Hayes, Caroline Georgea. A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Shelves (exhibition catalogue). London: Salon RT, 2021: illustrated. Li Hei Di Periodicals Li Hei Di Periodicals 2024Bilkus, Izzy. "Li Hei Di: 'I become more insane at night – I think everyone does.'" Plaster Magazine, 28 March 2024. https://plastermagazine.com/articles/interview-li-hei-di-700-nights-of-winter-pippy-houldsworth-gallery/Dafoe, Taylor. "Young British Abstractionists." Sotheby's Magazine, September/October 2024.Deng, Kailei. "These 4 rising post-95 art stars cannot be ignored." YITART, 29 January 2024.https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A8NIP9hupj_zyKp3y1ulwg“Forbes 30 Under 30: Li Hei Di Artist Profile.” Forbes Asia, 16 May 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/li-hei-di/?sh=725d582158cdHutchings-Georgiou, Hannah. "Seeing Red with Li Hei Di." Elephant Magazine, 19 April 2024. https://elephant.art/seeing-red-with-li-hei-di/Lee, Sophie."Don’t Miss These 8 Shows by Women Artists to Watch This Month." Cultured Magazine, 11 March 2024. https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2024/03/11/loie-hollowell-nicole-coson-sixten-sandra-osterbergLi, Hei Di. "Season 20, Episode 11." Interview with Robert Diament and Russell Tovey. Podcast audio. Talk Art, 15 March 2024. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/li-hei-di/id1439567112?i=1000649289598Masters, HG. "Li Hei Di on '700 Nights of Winter.'" Art Asia Pacific, 14 March 2024. https://artasiapacific.com/people/li-hei-di-on-700-nights-of-winterXi, Mulan. "They are coming with great momentum｜Young artists Fang Yuan, Li Heidi, Long Pan." Glass Official, 20 May 2024. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2oSYuvsgbW9quyG9INnkcw2023"The Best of 2023: According to 6 Painters Who Defined It." Ocula, 22 December 2023. https://ocula.com/advisory/perspectives/best-of-2023-according-to-painters-who-defined-it/?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-ocula.art&utm_content=later-40003087&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio"The British artists who took over Paris." LUX Magazine, Spring/Summer 2023. https://www.lux-mag.com/the-british-artists-who-took-over-paris/Cheshire, Lee. "London Gallery Weekend announces performance commissions." The Art Newspaper, 5 May 2023. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/05/05/london-gallery-weekend-announces-performance-commissionsFan, Cathy. “Emerging Artist Li Hei Di Calls Her London Studio a ‘Parallel Universe,’ Where Hong Kong’s Cinematic Heroines and Mystical Abstraction Meet.” Artnet, 2 October 2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/studio-visit-li-hei-di-2365268Halperin, Julia. “Painting Outside the Lines.” W Magazine, 13 December 2023. https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/contemporary-abstract-artists-womenJeffreys, Tom. "The Best Shows at London Gallery Weekend." Frieze, 31 May 2023. https://www.frieze.com/article/best-shows-london-gallery-weekend-2023Kakar, Arun. "The Artsy Vanguard 2023–2024: Li Hei Di." Artsy, 6 November 2023. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artsy-vanguard-2023-li-hei-diMitchell, Rory. "Li Hei Di’s U.S. Solo Debut at Michael Kohn Gallery." Ocula, 9 November 2023. https://ocula.com/advisory/picks/li-hei-di-us-debut-michael-kohn-gallery/Mitchell, Rory. “Li Hei Di in the Studio.” Ocula, 8 February 2023. https://ocula.com/advisory/studio-visits/li-hei-di-in-the-studio/Westfall, Mark. “London Gallery Weekend 2023: More Details Released.” FAD Magazine, 25 May 2023. https://fadmagazine.com/2023/05/25/london-gallery-weekend-2023-more-details-released/2022“The Armory Show: Five Artists to Watch.” Ocula, 14 September 2022. https://ocula.com/advisory/perspectives/the-armory-show-five-emerging-artists-to-watch/“Five Galleries to See At Art-O-Rama, Marseille.” FAD Magazine, 22 August 2022. https://fadmagazine.com/2022/08/22/five-galleries-to-see-at-art-o-rama-marseille/Wan, Jessica. “Interview with Li Hei Di.” Young Artists in Conversation, April 2022. https://youngartistsinconversation.co.uk/Li-HeidiLi, Hei Di. “Sangram Majumdar and Li Heidi in conversation with MAMOTH.” MAMOTH, 24 February 2022. https://www.mamoth.co.uk/blog/30-sangram-majumdar-and-li-heidi-in-conversation-with/2021“In Conversation With: Li Hei Di.” Where’s The Frame, 18 March 2021. https://www.wherestheframe.com/post/in-conversation-with-li-hei-di