Holland: Truthfulness Compassion and Forbearance International Art Exhibition Held at Amsterdam City Hall

From the 2nd to the 15th of November 2005, the Dutch Falun Gong Association organised a two-week long “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” Art Exhibition in the City Hall Amsterdam. Among the visitors were city hall office staff, government officials who came to the city hall for meetings, ordinary citizens, people who specifically came to see the exhibition after reading advertisements, as well as relatives and friends of Falun Gong practitioners.

Peter Houben, Chairperson of the Dutch Falun Gong Association, said at the opening ceremony: "The purpose of holding the “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” Art Exhibition is to use the beautiful arts to show Falun Gong practitioners’ uncompromising courage and commitment to the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” in the face of relentless persecution by the Chinese Communist regime."

Paintings that depicted Falun Gong practitioners being tortured shocked every visitor. People learned about the brutality and covert nature of the Chinese Communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Artworks showing the heavens and human beings in harmony helped people to see the beauty and peaceful nature of Falun Gong.

Among the artworks there is a painting depicting a scene in which Falun Gong practitioners were making banners. The guide told visitors that in Mainland China, people who try to display a banner or distribute a leaflet in public would face the danger of being caught and tortured. Some visitors asked, "Why do Falun Gong practitioners do that? Why don’t they just stay at home?" The guide replied, "Falun Gong practitioners carry out these actions because they couldn’t bear to see their fellow practitioners being tortured to death in prisons and they couldn’t bear to see that people are confused by the Chinese Communist regime’s lies. The purpose of their coming out is to reduce the severity of the persecution and to stop the persecution." Upon hearing this, visitors expressed their admirations for their courage.

After viewing the art exhibition, visitors were very moved with heavy hearts. When Falun Gong practitioners asked if they wanted to sign the petition calling for the immediate end to the persecution and for bringing the prime culprit of the persecution Jiang Zemin to justice, many of them did so without any hesitation.

In the book, people expressed their deep fondness of the artworks, their support for the immediate end to the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China and their hope that the truth would be widely spread. The following are a few typical messages:

“It is so sad to see that such beautiful artworks are linked with such terrible events. I hope the Chinese government will stop the torture and persecution soon.”

“From the beginning, what moved me is the beauty of the art, then its meanings, and finally the tragedy occurring in China. It is terrible. However this art exhibition gives hope that the whole world will wake up. Thank you for the great strength and courage.”

“I have never heard of these things. I am deeply shocked. I shall inform everyone who is interested in this topic.”