A new auction record for fast-rising Chinese-born painter Li Hei Di was set at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on Sunday evening, with the work *There Was One Summer Returning Over and Over; There Was One Dawn I Grew Old Watching* (2023) selling for HK$2.67 million ($342,824). The price represents a 91-percent increase from the artist’s previous high, set just six months ago, and more than doubled its presale high estimate after a five-minute bidding battle. Li, born in Shenyang in 1997 and based in London, opened their first solo exhibition with Pace in Hong Kong this summer and is the youngest artist on the international gallery’s roster.
The record underscores the rapid ascent of Li Hei Di as a market star, with prices surging in a short period amid strong demand for emerging contemporary artists. The work, inspired by Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s film *Green Snake* (1993), reflects Li’s distinctive style of submerged, emotive figures, and the sale signals sustained collector appetite for young artists with institutional backing and a compelling narrative. The result also highlights Sotheby’s Hong Kong as a key venue for setting new benchmarks in the Asian contemporary art market.