All of the artists are practitioners of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong, which was banned in China, its country of origin, in 1999. The guiding principles of Falun Gong are "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance," in direct opposition to the principles espoused by the Communist Party, which are based on control, force and violence.

Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese head of state, banned the practice at a time when those practicing Falun Gong had exceeded the number of members of the Communist Party by quite a large number. Some of the artists in the exhibition were also victims of torture, suppression and incarceration in Chinese slave labor camps.

This exhibition originated in the USA and Canada and has now come to Europe. The intent of this exhibition is to expose human rights violations that have not been widely talked about around the world. At the same time, the exhibition shows the beauty of Falun Gong cultivation, the return to truth and pure goodness. This is what Falun Gong members strive for and see as their reason for living.

The unique pictures have already been shown in America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well in some European countries. There is no exhibition that this author can remember that has generated such emotion. While viewing the pictures, one is torn between fascination, sadness and hope.

Mayor Alfred Rohr introduced the exhibition on Monday evening and said, "Schlaining, with its Friedensburg Castle of Peace is the ideal place for this exhibition." Parliamentary delegate Dorsi Prohaska spoke at the grand opening and Volker Dietz from the organizing committee for the international exhibitions spoke about the individual works of art.

The exhibition at Castle Schlaining will end on Friday and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

From: http://www.clearharmony.de/articles/200605/31417.html

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200605/33220.html