Bengali in Beijing Part 2

Was walking around Beijing when I spotted this art gallery by the side of the road with a poster saying "Sport in Art". Sensing a story, we walked in. And what a story it turned out to be! Sport in Art turned out to be an Adidas-arranged exhibition of paintings by some of the biggest sporting heroes of our times - Ian Thorpe, Yelena Isinbayeva, David Beckham, Tyson Gay, Lionel Messi, Jeremy Wariner... No one else was aware of it. It had not been advertised. But there, at the Today Art Gallery was this little goldmine.

Above: at the entrance - a brilliant bronze sculpture of a woman relay sprinter. And inside, the ADIDAS poster advertising works from the champion sportspersons.
An original Ian Thorpe. The explanation on the painting said that Thorpe has always believed that there are a number of little men inside his body and these men make him do the things he does. So this is him swimming away, while the little men inside his body swim with him. I'm sure he calls them his 'swimmers', which makes it all rather interesting, and a case for the illegal use of substances officers!
The Tiny Giant, by Lionel Messi. A classic. Went with a video that talked about Messi's growth hormone deficiency as a kid, which made him concentrate on his speed and agility, and taught him to keep the ball on the ground and develop his dribbling skills.
A David Beckham. Shows him celebrating after scoring a goal. The words 'strength' and 'family' float around him, while the word 'believe' is away with the ball at the other corner of the net. Must be an old painting. Seeing that he's celebrating a goal!Just outsdie the Today Art Museum. Laughing Chinese men greet you at the entrance. Made of some metal obviously. Not sure what. But very interesting. And as it turned out, a wonderful location for me to anchor from.

Locals. Helpful. Friendly. And very excited whenever they meet someone from 'Indu' - that's us!