“The Passion for Freedom is Stronger than the Wall of a Jail”

(Minghui.org) A selection of artworks from The Art of Zhen, Shan, Ren International Exhibition was displayed at the “Alpha-Omega 61st Modern Creations” annual jewelry expo on January 10-13, 2014, Paiania, Greece. The event was held at the Mediterranean Exhibition Center (MEC), near Athens. Every year this widely-known expo draws merchants and visitors from all over Greece and Cyprus. The popular art exhibition features paintings by Falun Gong practitioners, and touches on the core of Falun Dafa cultivation practice, as well as the nearly 15-year persecution in China.

"The passion for freedom is stronger than the wall of a jail,” said a Christian woman as she thanked the practitioners for their efforts to raise awareness through the exhibition. As a person of faith, she said that she resonated with Falun Gong's core principles of Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance).

A young child takes in the painting “Entering the Divine Realm with Purity,” which shows a child watching his mother sitting in meditation.

Visitors to the “Alpha-Omega 61st Modern Creations” jewelry expo spend time viewing the artwork of Falun Gong practitioners and learning about the persecution in China.

Many who viewed the artwork at the expo said that they were deeply moved by the paintings. At the same time, visitors were shocked to learn of the brutality of the persecution in China, as depicted in some of the paintings. One message left in the guestbook said, "Shame on them," referring to the Chinese Communist Party, which has been persecuting the practice for over a decade.

A businessman involved with a media organization in Crete was captivated by the artwork. He asked many questions about Falun Gong and the persecution, and was interested in learning the Falun Gong exercises. The next day he returned and said that he wished to invite the art exhibition to Crete, adding that he had all the contacts needed to host the exhibition there.

“We are one, and I support you," said a man who owns a museum in Athens. He felt that the paintings had amazing energy. He encouraged the practitioners to continue securing venues in Greece, and offered to help with future exhibitions.

A woman who happened upon the art exhibition at the expo felt that the real reason she had come there was to learn about Falun Gong. "I didn’t know at first why I came to this show at the MEC,” she said. “I thought I came by mistake, but now I understand that maybe I was supposed to meet you today. I'd like to invite you to teach the exercises on the island where I live. I have at least 40 contacts who are very interested in learning qigong."

Several visitors asked where and when the next exhibition would be held and said they would encourage their relatives and friends to see it.