4/12/07

The Falun Dafa Association of San Jose State University held an art exhibit on Tuesday and Wednesday on the Seventh Street Plaza to showcase the work of Falun Dafa practitioners.

Some of the artists personally experienced the torture depicted in their artwork, while one remains jailed, according to Falun Dafa Association member Tuan Lam.

Falun Dafa is a traditional self-cultivation practice that has been banned in China, where those who continue to practice it allegedly face torture and persecution.

In an oil painting titled "Lotus Candle" by Xiaoping Chen, a woman sits with her legs crossed above scenes of torture.

The figures below face torture by way of physical and mental torment.

As what can be seen as political commentary, the men and women being tortured have rings of light painted over their heads - representative of the halos that can be found in western style paintings of saints and martyrs.

Oscar Gutierrez, a first-year occupational therapy graduate student, appreciated the overarching impact of the paintings on display.

"The message they're trying to communicate to people is very important," Gutierrez said. Gutierrez said he was aware of the government and social policies that negatively affect those living in parts of eastern Asia, but feels many students are not.

"The average person doesn't know that there's torture going on," Gutierrez said, "and forced labor camps."

Zhiping Wang's "Like a Stone" shows the steadfastness of Falun Dafa practitioners who experience torture.

In the pastel on paper painting, a man dressed in yellow is shown having nails bored into the fingers on his right hand, while his left arm is being twisted behind his back.

His oppressors are dressed all in black.

"From my first time looking at them," Gutierrez said, "I can gather a lot. The color they're using, the guys wearing black, and then there's the guy wearing yellow. Maybe it symbolizes hope."

Joseph Cordova, a senior majoring in art, practices Falun Dafa. He said he was not surprised by anything he saw at the exhibit.

"The government wants to persecute the practitioners," Cordova said. "They don't like that there's more practitioners than communists."

Chen and Yixiu Zhou's "Coming for you" is oil on canvas that shows the face of the Falun Dafa practitioner is international, not exclusively Chinese or Asian.

"These paintings are depicting what's actually happening in China right now," said civil engineering senior Khang Vo.

Vo is a member of the Falun Dafa Association. He said the plight of Falun Dafa practitioners is more publicized and recognized in Europe.

David Kilgour, a former member of the Canadian Parliament, conducted an independent investigation along with attorney David Matas into the human rights violations of Falun Dafa practitioners in China.

According to Kilgour's Web site www.organharvestinvestigation.net, the report revealed that practitioners of Falun Dafa in China were having their organs harvested by the Chinese government.

The artwork showcased at the exhibit was straightforward and realistic in style. There were no hidden meanings or complicated symbols to decipher.

The scenes of torture were shocking, but the truth behind them is unimaginable.