On December 5, Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun Contemporary announced that Pi Li, its head of art, will depart in February 2026 upon the completion of his three-year contract.

Born in 1974 in Wuhan, Pi is a seasoned Chinese curator and the son of influential art historian Pi Daojian. After earning a PhD in art history from Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, he served as the deputy executive director of its art administration department for over a decade. In 2012, Pi relocated to Hong Kong to join the M+ museum as Sigg senior curator and head of curatorial affairs. He remained at M+ for 11 years, overseeing the M+ Sigg Collection of Chinese art, before joining Tai Kwun in February 2023. 

Pi has curated major exhibitions and events in China and internationally, including the fourth Shanghai Biennale (2002), “Alors, la Chine?” at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (2003), and the fourth Seoul Mediacity Biennale (2006). Most recently, he co-organized Tai Kwun’s group show, “Stay Connected: Art and China Since 2008.” He also co-founded SPURS Gallery (formerly Boers-Li Gallery) in 2005, located in Beijing’s 798 Art District. 

According to the South China Morning Post, Pi is set to take on a leading role in establishing a new art museum in Shenzhen. Tai Kwun confirmed his departure, noting that the search for his successor is in its “final phases.”

Yuqian Fan is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.