by QLD practitioners
After several weeks of planning, Falun Gong
practitioners, in conjunction with the Australia Chinese Cultural & Art Association
Inc, held the grand opening of the Uncompromising Courage art exhibition at the
Royal Queensland Arts Society on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia on 26 June
2005. This exhibition will run for one week before another showing in Brisbane
at the Queensland College of Art at Griffith University mid-July.
The
Royal Queensland Arts Society is a private art gallery fronting the ocean in Broadbeach.
It is a popular gallery with many people visiting on the weekends. All the personnel
connected with the gallery were extremely helpful and supportive with this event,
especially after learning the facts about Falun Gong and its persecution in China.
We spent all day Saturday setting up the display with advice from the gallery
staff on how to most effectively set out the artworks for maximum impact. As we
were doing so, many people came through the gallery and viewed the works as they
were being set up and spoke with practitioners. Besides the paintings, we had
a table of information about the art works and artists and flyers about Falun
Gong and the persecution.
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Uncompromising Courage art exhibition | ||
We had advertised this event
heavily in the local newspapers and radio stations and had put up notices around
the area. The Gold Coast Bulletin also ran an article, Courage to the Fore, on
Saturday. Before the official opening, the waist drummers performed along with
three dancers performing the Lotus Dance. Both of these were warmly received.
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Waist drummers dancers | |
The Queensland spokesperson for Falun
Gong emceed the program and there were speeches from a Falun Gong representative,
explaining what the exhibition is about in relationship to the persecution of
Falun Gong in China, and an internationally acclaimed local seascape artist, Mr
Colin Perini, who spoke about the importance of not compromising one’s principles
and how practitioners have remained uncompromising in their beliefs and actions
during their persecution in China, steadfastly following the principles they believe
in.
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Emcee | Practitioner’s speech | Mr Perini’s speech |
We
then had the official ribbon cutting ceremony with Mr Perini and one of the gallery
staff and everyone entered the gallery to view these magnificent works. A number
of artists attended and both they and the gallery staff remarked on the quality
of the artworks and the powerful impact they had on the viewer. A reporter from
the Sun newspaper attended, who had covered stories about Falun Gong before, and
spent most of the day speaking with practitioners and saying how appalled she
was by what was happening in China and here in Australia to practitioners.
Ribbon
cutting ceremony
During refreshments, practitioners demonstrated the exercises
and everyone was very attentive and some people expressed interest in learning
the exercises.
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Exercise demonstration | Falun Gong display |
Nearly
everyone who viewed the exhibition and spoke with practitioners was horrified
that such brutality could be happening to this peaceful practice. They found the
works very powerful and moving and some were quite emotionally overcome by these
artworks. Everyone thanked us for having this grand exhibition and said they would
tell their friends to come. One Christian lady, who was visiting the Gold Coast
from Melbourne and had never heard about Falun Gong, just happened to come by
and was extremely touched and moved by the artworks. Before she left, she said
a prayer for practitioners and for the persecution to end.
Posting date:
29/Jun/2005
Original article date: 27/Jun/2005
Category: Event
