Michael Li was born in China, and now resides in Irvine, California. In addition to his work in photography, he runs his own automotive wheel business, DPE Wheels, a brand that reaches all corners of the world, from Australia to Asia to Europe, not to mention a good following in the windy city. This allows him ample opportunity to pursue other creative endeavors, including his work as an independent photographer. Although none of Li's work in wheels is a part of the Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances 2010 Art Auction some of the aotpr.com staff is from Detroit, so as far as aotpr.com is concerned, wheels are definitely art. (Which explains why there's a link to DPE WHEELS in the aotpr.com series on the New Dances Art Auction.)

Michael's photograph, entitled "Bian Zhong - Hung in a memorial park in my home town Wuhan, China", is an 8X10 black and white lustre high quality photo mounted on white matte board with a 11X17 black frame. Li describes the subject of this work, which is an especially apt choice for his support of New Dances, like this: "The Bian Zhong is a classical Chinese musical instrument that has been a part of our culture for thousands of years. A set of the bell ensemble can be up to sixty-five individual pieces ranging in size anywhere from eight inches to five feet tall, and can weigh over five tons. This picture captures ONE bell from a unique perspective."

More of Michael Li's photography can be seen at Flickr, and there's much more about the New Dances 2010 Art Auction at Thodos Dance Chicago.