Li Hei Di's Drowning in the thick air of the Dissolute acquired by The Hepworth Wakefield.

The painting, which was made for Li Hei Di’s first European solo exhibition, 700 Nights of Winter, at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery last year, is on view in a new exhibition, A Living Collection, at The Hepworth Wakefield until spring 2026. The painting has been generously gifted to the gallery by Jennifer and Jon Weaver.

Li Hei Di (b. 1997, Shenyang, China) lives and works in London. They received their MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London, UK, and her BA (Hons) from Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK, and the Maryland Institute College of Art, MD. Li is currently included in The Monster, Pace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA and in Double Vision on view at The Warehouse, Dallas.

In 2024 Li had their first European solo exhibition, 700 Nights of Winter, at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, and was among those selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.

Previous exhibitions include Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2024); GRIMM, New York, NY (2024); Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines (2024); Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2023); X Museum Triennial, Beijing, China, (2023); Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, TX (2023); CICA Vancouver, Canada (2023); Gagosian, Hong Kong (2023); Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London (2023); and LINSEED Projects, Shanghai, China (2022), amongst others.

A Living Collection showcases art works that have been donated or fundraised for to keep Wakefield’s art collection ‘a living collection’ for future generations to enjoy. Many of the works have joined the collection in the last 18 months and are displayed for the first time since their acquisition. Since Wakefield’s art collection was established in 1923, it has had an aim of nurturing an understanding of contemporary art and its relation to modern life.

The Hepworth Wakefield continues to develop the collection with this aim, showing how art can help us understand and explore current lived experiences.