The art medallion transforms Wu’s jersey into a moving canvas, showcasing the beauty and power of Chinese art to a global audience at an international sports event, Huang added.

“Mr. Xu Lei’s work jumped to mind when I was thinking about this collaboration because his work not only fuses tradition and modernity but also is imbued with ancient Chinese philosophy,” Huang said, adding that contemporary Chinese art of this kind serves as a great entry point to engage an international audience.

Born in 1963, Xu Lei was active in the 85’ New Wave art movement that flourished between 1985 and 1989 to rebel against Social Realism. Xu developed a distinctive style by marrying the figurative and the symbolic, producing poetic, surrealistic paintings with the traditional gongbi (meticulous brushwork) technique.

“Although sports differ from art, one moving and the other usually static, they both bring great pleasure to the eye and the mind,” said Xu Lei, who is pleased to see his painting made into a miniature on Wu’s sportswear to accompany him in his impressive runs at the US Open.