Falun Gong Practitioners’ Artwork Wins Awards at Amnesty International Art Show (Photo)

By an Australian Falun Dafa practitioner

On January 28, 2006, the 9^th “Freedom, People’s Choice Exhibition”
organized by Australian Amnesty International had an award ceremony. One Falun
Gong practitioner’s oil painting, “The Death of a Truthfulness Compassion
Tolerance Believer” won the “People’s Choice” award. Another Chinese-Australian
painter and Falun Gong practitioner, Zhang Cuiying’s traditional Chinese
painting, “The Beauty of Spring” won the “Freedom Art Award”.

Award winner: “The Death of a Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance Believer”

According
to Zhao Xijie, who painted the “The Death of a Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance
Believer,” the painting depicted a true story that took place in June 2001 at
Gaiguo Township of Macheng City, Hubei Province. Two local Falun Gong practitioners
were dragged to death by two motorcycles because they didn’t give up practicing
Falun Gong. Zhao said he sent the painting to the exhibition, aiming to raise
more awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong in China and to help end the persecution
soon.

This painting won the People’s Choice award out of more than
80 submitted works of art. Many people looked at the painting for a long time
and read the introduction carefully. Many who saw the painting did so solemnly
and left with tears in their eyes.

Zhang Cuiying, who won the second place
award with her traditional Chinese painting, “Beauty of Spring,” is also a Falun
Gong practitioner. Because she is a practitioner and spoke up for Falun Gong,
she was jailed in China for eight months, during which time she suffered a great
deal of mental and physical torture. On September 15, 2004, Ms. Zhang filed a
lawsuit against the head of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, and the
610
Office in the New South Wales Superior Court.

Amnesty International
has organized the “Freedom, People’s Choice” art exhibition every year for
the past nine years. The purpose is to raise the public’s awareness of AI’s
efforts in improving human rights worldwide. It also encourages people to help
however they can. The works of art displayed the artists’ understanding of
“Freedom”.

The exhibition was at the TAP gallery in Sydney from January
23^rd to February 4^th.

Posting
date: 5/Feb/2006
Original article date: 5/Feb/2006
Category: Australian
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