"It is an interesting dialogue," says Wu, also an academic of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, who shows at the exhibition the statues of Italian Renaissance legend Leonardo da Vinci and modern Chinese artist Qi Baishi to create a spiritual dialogue across time and space.

The two institutions have been at the forefront of cultural exchanges between China and Italy.

In 2019, a group of two bronze sculptures titled A Dialogue Across the Time, created by Wu, was installed at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. The work, depicting Da Vinci and Qi, was added to the academy's permanent collection to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci's death.