Jun Hao becomes brushstroke hero in young artist's charity drive
KUALA LUMPUR: National shuttler Leong Jun Hao's explosive court presence has been immortalised in art — all in the name of charity — thanks to a young and talented artist, Yap Ze Hern.
The 14-year-old has created a striking artwork capturing Jun Hao's on-court intensity, which now features on T-shirts and other merchandise.
All proceeds from the sales will go to Yayasan Chow Kit, a non-profit organisation supporting underprivileged children in the area.
The collaborative artworks are part of Ze Hern's exhibition at GMBB Mall, running from May 10-12.
World No. 26 Jun Hao, who attended a meet-and-greet session during the launch on Friday, said he was intrigued by the idea of combining sports and art for a good cause.
"It's definitely something different. It's the first time I've worked with an artist, and I'm glad it's for a charitable cause," said Jun Hao. "Hopefully, there'll be more opportunities like this in the future where I can give back to society.
"The art is pretty impressive — he clearly has talent. I've never really thought about art much, but when this opportunity came, I felt I should give it a shot, and it turned out to be a great project."
Jun Hao revealed that Ze Hern first reached out to him via social media, and the two later met to develop the idea.
"I get a lot of messages from fans, and Ze Hern was one of them. He and his family even came to support me during the Malaysia Open. That's when he brought up the idea. We had a few meetings to plan it out.
"He's young but clearly talented. We thought a painting of me playing badminton could work, and later we decided it should be for charity. In the end, it became this exhibition. I'm really happy with how it turned out."
"I'm not exactly artistic myself — just did a bit of doodling in school — but maybe after this, I'll try my hand at it again in my spare time."
Meanwhile, Ze Hern was beaming with pride and relief after a successful launch, and thanked everyone who had supported him.
"Half the work is done, so I feel really relieved and happy now. So many people came to support the event," said Ze Hern.
"I'm extremely grateful and excited to have worked with someone at Jun Hao's level. I hope to collaborate with more athletes in the future. I believe we can benefit from each other.
"It's really a surprise to be in this position at my age. I'm very thankful for everyone who made this possible, especially my family and my teachers who taught me how to draw."
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