“In the market place of ideas,
truth wins.” — National Arts Club President O. Aldon James
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NEW
YORK (FDI) – The “Uncompromising Courage” art exhibition opened successfully at
the National Arts Club in New York City last week amidst anonymous bomb threats
and intruders aiming to prevent the event from taking place.
National
Arts Club president O. Aldon James refused to succumb to pressure and rescind
the club’s support. “We believe in freedom of expression. The Arts Club is 106
years old and we’ve had controversial exhibits here in the past.”
The
artworks expose what is happening in China but also show practitioners facing
adversity with grace and courage and how a spiritual path has enriched their lives.
Four of the thirteen artists personally experienced torture and beating at the
hands of Chinese authorities. Their art conveys equally the persecution and also
the unyielding perseverance of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Li
Jingyu, one of the artists whose work is featured in the exhibition tells of her
husband and brother who were jailed for refusing to give up the practice. She
said: “In China, millions of people suffer everyday, so many were tortured to
death, but so many people here don’t know what is happening. I’m trying to paint
the truth.”
Falun Gong which consists of slow moving exercises
and is based on the principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance came under
attack in July 1999 following a government survey that showed that 70-100 million
people were practicing, which was more than registered members of the Chinese
Communist Party. China’s president at the time – Jiang Zemin, felt it to be a
threat to his political power and vowed to “eliminate” the spiritual movement
it. However he did not limit his sights to China alone.
Gail
Rachlin, spokesperson for Falun Gong said: “Over the past five years, the Chinese
consulates and embassies overseas have tried to defame us and block us at every
turn. They have sent their agents to visit the offices of US officials and different
organizations that we have contacted and use a combination of threats, coercion,
and even bribery to make them rescind their support for us.”
|
A
similar exhibition at the Mount Sinai Medical School was effectively stopped due
to external pressure. On October 27, the morning of the opening, the response
was overwhelmingly positive yet the exhibit was suddenly shut down with no explanation
given.
According to Resolution 304 that was unanimously passed
in the U.S. House of Representatives, “the Chinese Government has also attempted
to silence the Falun Gong movement and Chinese pro-democracy groups inside the
United States.” The resolution lists assaults, theft, and attempts to politically
pressure government officials and organizations in the United States into condemning
Falun Gong.
The repeated attempts to extend the persecution
beyond China’s borders however, has been largely unsuccessful and in almost every
instance it has only served to further expose those who undertake such despicable
acts.
The exhibit runs through November 8th, at the National
Arts Club, Sculpture Gallery 15 Gramercy Park South at E 20th St., New York City.
Posting
date: 2/Nov/2004
Original article date: 1/Nov/2004
Category: World News
