The work of Brooklyn-based Aaron Li-Hill, who also goes by Li-Hill, is instantly recognizable for his dynamic portrayals of animals and figures, where his subjects appear suspended in motion, drawn frame-by-frame. Featured here on our blog, Li-Hill describes his art as a frenetic “storm of imagery and density”, where beauty surfaces from various styles, inspired by his background in graffiti and cultural experiences. The artist just unveiled a new installation, in collaboration with the nonprofit JustKids, at the iconic Friedman-Mincer historic building in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Li-Hill’s striking installations, created using a combination of multimedia and found materials, are full of kinetic energy that simulates the motion in his murals and fine art. About his installation work, he shares: “This concept started as small drawings and stencil pieces I made in university… The long discarded strips of planed wood became an extension of the first initial lines I drew. I wanted to create work that was connected to those flat surfaces I usually worked on, yet make something that navigated the environments.”
Drawn in smeared aerosol, Li-Hill’s large-scale piece for Friedman-Mincer depicts the fleeting image of a pack of coyote hunting a spotted fawn on the run, a visual metaphor for man versus nature. Titled “Trap the Hunter”, Li-Hill explains that the image represents “the cycle they are both locked into and the human element that influences this struggle- The white chaotic flow of wood alludes to industry and the global human effect, driving an ever more dire situation within this cycle.” Take a look at more images of Li-Hill’s “Trap the Hunter” below, courtesy JustKids.