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Radio Free Asia (RFA): Falun Gong Practitioners Hold a Painting Exhibition at the US Congress
(Clearwisdom.net) some painters who practice Falun Gong
began on Thursday exhibiting their works at the US Congress Building. These
works mainly depict the scenes of the Chinese government's suppression and
Falun Gong's resistance. The following is the summary of the report by RFA
correspondent Shi Shan on July 16, 2004.
RM Format Online Listening (3mins 59sec) The art exhibition was held at the underground hall of the
US House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building, and nearly 50 works
were displayed. Most of the works reflect the brutal scenes that take place
when Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted in China, including the
scenes of some brutal torture methods, and Falun Gong practitioners' opposition
to the persecution in Mainland China and overseas. One oil painting left a deep impression on many people. A
three to four year-old boy is behind the prison's metal parapet, looking up the
sky outside, puzzling. The background is a dark and gloomy prison cell. The
author of the painting is artist Ms. Wang Weixing who has held individual art
exhibition several times in the US. She explained that the name of the work is
called, "Why." Wang: Recently I met a lady named Zhang Derong from New
York; she and her child were sent to a prison this way. She told me this story,
so I created this painting. The painting expresses that the child and his
mother were detained in the same cell. His mother was severely tortured, and he
was also beaten. He stood outside the metal parapet, and was wondering why all
this happened to them. Wang Weixing brought three paintings this time. She said her
painting once fell into a difficult position, but now she has found inspiration
and new direction. Ten Chinese and Western artists took part in the exhibition.
A sketch series, including four pen drawings, were from a prison in China. The
author Ren Zhongde is a Chinese artist. It is said that his whereabouts are
still unknown. Ms. Fan, the organizer of the exhibition said that he might be
still in prison. Ms. Fan: He is still in prison. He drew the four small works
with pen in prison, and then entrusted someone in prison to transfer them out
of prison. We only know that he is still in prison, but we are not clear about
his current situation. Ms. Fan expressed that four of the ten artists were once put
in prison in China for practicing Falun Gong. Their works are mostly their
personal experiences. Canadian artist Zhang Kunlun, originally a sculpture
professor at Shandong University, was sentenced to two years of forced labor
after the Jiang's regime began persecuting Falun Gong in 1999. He was released
in 2001 and returned to Canada. One of professor Zhang's paintings is named "Red Wall."
Under a huge red wall with the huge words "Suppression," several Falun Gong
practitioners are suffering torture, while the corner of the wall begins to
cave in, and the big wall also appeared cracks. Professor Zhang explained that
the painting is entitled, "Red Wall," it actually sums up that under the ruling
of Jiang Zemin's dictatorship, the entire China forms a big prison. It is not
only a social problem, in China, it is a big prison wrapping a small prison and
again a smaller prison; layer upon layer, you are locked inside. Speaking of the ordeal in prison, professor Zhang was choked
with sobs for a while and unable to speak. He explained that he could only use
artistic works to express his feelings. Zhang: Falun Gong practitioners in China may be arrested,
sent to labor camps or tortured to death at any time. So I'm one of the
victims. When I was arrested, sent to labor camp and detained, that feeling was
sometimes hard to express clearly in language. So I use paintings to express
such feelings in China. Professor Zhang explained that he has produced quite a few
sculpture works in the past two years reflecting the persecution of Falun Gong
and unyielding resistance. But due to the limit of exhibition site, he did not
bring his sculpture works to participate in the exhibition. This is the fifth year of the persecution of Falun Gong. Ms.
Fan, the organizer of the exhibition expressed that on around July 20 this
year, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners would hold a series of activities
of commemoration and appeal in the capital of the US, Washington DC. The
exhibition is one of the series of activities. The above is the report from RFA correspondent Shi Shan. Posting date: 7/18/2004 |