France: “These Paintings are Extraordinarily Powerful”

A four day long Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance Art Exhibition was successfully held in Ceyrat, a city located in the neighborhood of Clerment-Ferrand in central France. The exhibition was mounted and organised by the city government of Ceyrat.

Several TV and radio stations, including Clerment-Ferrand branch of the TV Channel 3, France Bleu and RCF (Radios Chrétiennes en France) provided on-site news coverage about the event. La Montagne, the most popular newspaper in Auvergne Province, Ceyrat Infos, a local newspaper in Ceyrat, and Info, a free newspaper with a circulation volume as high as 200,000 across Auvergne, all carried introductions about the art exhibition before the grand opening.

Mrs. Mary-Teresia Monet director of the Espace Culture ET Congres Henri Biscarrat where the art exhibition was held was a graduate of an art institute. After she visited the art exhibition, she said, “These paintings are extraordinarily powerful in artistic expression.” She was particularly touched by the painting entitled “Tribulations in the Midland.” She added, “Everyone knows the Chinese communist regime is an autocratic one. What I understand from these paintings and the testimony of this lady makes me feel uneasy. We should not forgive the persecution inflicted upon any form of belief or cultivation which should respect one. We have no right to infringe on others. Regardless of men, women or children, their bodies should not be infringed on. As a mother and grandmother. I cannot help but think of my own children and other children after seeing this persecution. History always repeats itself. I just wonder whether one day people would truly understand that we need to think carefully about this persecution no matter whether it occurs today or in the future.”

During the four days of the exhibition, people who came to exhibition were deeply moved by the paintings’ power of artistic expression and the stories depicted by them. Visitors all indicated that they would propagate what they knew and through various ways, they would help to stop the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners.

Among the exhibition goers were teachers from universities, high schools and elementary schools. The teachers said they would convey to their students the actual situations of the persecution exposed by the paintings. Viewers who came from other cities expressed that they would recommend their city government to host the exhibition. Some athletes said they would take the initiative in collecting signatures to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

On the guest book several people left remarks such as “You have awakened our conscience. Thank you very much for telling us all of this,” and “The paintings are so beautiful. Only non-violent peacefulness such as what we see in this exhibition can prevail over tyranny.”