Germany: “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” Art Exhibition Held for the First Time

“No human nature”, “We are shocked!” Although the members of the International Human Rights Association are familiar with the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party, they found the shameless means used to suppress Falun Gong, the rampant persecution and the degree of brutality beyond their imagination, while seeing the twenty five paintings created to exposing the cruel persecution of Falun Gong.

The members of the International Human Rights Association were shocked by the cruel persecution of Falun Gong carried out by the Chinese Communist Party.

When Volker, a Falun Gong practitioner from Frankfurt, heard that the 2005 International Human Rights Annual Conference, held at Koenigstein from April 23rd to 24th, was about torture, he immediately remembered the Art Exhibition held in Geneva during the session of the UN Human Rights Conference. Some of the pictures illustrated how the police in China persecute Falun Gong practitioners using torture.

Volker contacted practitioners in other countries, and quickly got copies of the paintings. He selected twenty five paintings from the copies. Most of them portrayed methods of torture, such as bamboo sticks being shoved under the fingernails and cruel beatings. Some of them indirectly showed the persecution; for example, one girl couldn’t enter her home because her home was sealed up by order of the “6-10 Office”, a Gestapo-like agency created solely to persecute Falun Gong. In the morning of April 23rd when the International Human Rights Annual Conference was about to start, Volker was busy hanging up the paintings near the relaxation area.

The effect of exposing the persecution using these art works was displayed as they were framed. Employees of the framing company were measuring the size of every painting, so Volker took the chance to explain to them in detail about the content. The framing company got to know about the persecution and decided to charge their lowest price because “this art exhibition is a meaningful event”. They even helped Volker solve a transportation problem due to his urgent schedule by driving their own company van to transport the paintings to the location of the annual conference.

Mr. Volker, the organiser, explained the paintings to the visitors.

Communism rampaged in Eastern Europe for many years, so those people who came from this area were especially touched. Someone from the Czech Republic asked Volker how to get a high-resolution photo of a painting of an old Falun Gong practitioner squatting in a cage, in which he could hardly extend his body. The Czech man felt this painting had an intense symbolic meaning. The Communist Party is like this cage in its control of human thoughts and freedoms. Day after day, year after year, those who are held in these cages will forget what normal life is, what their inherent dignity and what their rights are. They became gradually numb and accept the orders made by those evil people who torture them.

Although Volker has been living in democratic western Germany, he could understand this implied meaning. The publication of “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” in German let him understand systematically the nature of the Communist Party and the way they use the principles of lies, violence and suppression to control all aspects of society. The Communist Party’s history of brutal killing never been expounded in such a way before. They utilise killing to create an atmosphere of terror to control people spiritually, so that most Chinese are totally willing to accept totalitarian rule.

Volker was glad to see the art exhibition, which had aroused resonances among the people who visited. When many people found out he was the curator, they came to him and said, with an incredible, shocked, and angry look, that they would tell more people about the persecution of Falun Gong.

This art exhibition was the first time the “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance Art Exhibition” was held in Germany. Falun Gong practitioners have blazed a peaceful path of anti-persecution, exposing the persecution by words, anti-torture exhibitions, music, paintings, and sculpture.

“In Germany, we will keep organising the art exhibitions.” said Volker. His gentle and slow voice also contained steadfastness in saying no to the evil persecution, and determination to let the world know the truth.