(Minghui.org) The Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition kicked off at the Cultural Center of Teziutlán in the northeast of Puebla State on August 1, 2022. Local celebrities from cultural circles and government officials participated in the opening ceremony.

The art exhibition paused for two years due to the COVID pandemic and resumed in Mexico to introduce Falun Dafa to a wider audience and raise further awareness of the persecution of Falun Dafa in China. 

Local celebrities and government officials participated in the opening ceremony of The Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition.

Angélica Hernández de Peredo, wife of the mayor of Teziutlán

Guests at the opening ceremony included Angélica Hernández de Peredo, wife of the mayor of Teziutlán. After viewing the artwork, she remarked, “We need more kindness and tolerance. Think about it: a mother received her son’s body; another mother was deprived of liberty. These are shocking. These paintings reflect their suffering. Somewhere in the world people are suffering. We have to do something to stop this from happening.”

Daniela Mier Bañuelos, representative of the National Regeneration Movement Party

Daniela Mier Bañuelos, representative of the National Regeneration Movement, said, “If we all follow truth, if we had kindness in our hearts and tolerance, the world would be different. Our Puebla state would be a peaceful state. Our country would be more peaceful. We must also pay attention to the suffering of others.” She strongly recommends that people see the exhibition, which “changes people’s perceptions.”

Annette Rumilla, Director of the Teziutlán Cultural Center

Annette Rumilla, director of the Teziutlán City Cultural Center, said, “We are honored that they are hosting an art exhibition here, which is one of the most humane exhibitions I have ever seen. I think the art exhibition lets us think and reflect on what has happened.”

Raúl Díaz, visual artist

Visual artist Raúl Díaz said he was able to understand the meaning of each painting. “I was particularly impressed that these are realistic work by Asian artists,” he said. “It makes me reflect on the dilemma we face as human beings and what path we should take.”

Díaz said that we were in a controlled society that has stripped us of our heritage, identity and spirituality, and that soul, spirit and religious beliefs have become less important.

Another artist, Lauer, said, “Artists pursue kindness, beauty and morality. These are the ideals we pursue as artists. In my opinion, this exhibition achieves all of this and more.”

Art Exhibition in Guanajuato State

The art exhibition in Celaya, Guanajuato State

The artworks were simultaneously displayed in the hall of the Secretariat of Rural Development in Celaya, Guanajuato State. The exhibition will be there until August 21 and will then continue to be shown in different government institutions in Celaya.

Dr. Magdalena Rosales

Dr. Magdalena Rosales, head of the Medical Branch, said, “I think the style and reality of these works is very important. I think it’s very important that the artists make people aware of the theme of the art exhibition.”

Guillermo Caballero Mendoza head of the Department of Social Communication

“This is an art exhibition that fights for freedom of expression and seeks to uphold human rights,” said Guillermo Caballero Mendoza, head of the Department of Social Communication.

The art exhibition in Celaya, Guanajuato State

The exhibition touched Ms. Estela Dolores Meneses Molina. She said, “This is an exhibition with high aesthetic value, and it also sends us a good message. The artworks inspire us to become better people.”

Muralist and sculptor Arturo Elías Islas was impressed by the quality, skill and cleanliness of the paintings. “These paintings convey peace and tranquility, but at the same time express a sense of unease and protest. So the paintings have an impact,” he said. For Mr. Islas, the information the art exhibition conveyed is important. He recommended this exhibition to other artists.

Juan Manuel González of Social and Cultural Action

Juan Manuel González, Director of Social and Cultural Action, said, “These works are about bringing people to the truth. In this sense, these works have a great influence. People can’t imagine that this [persecution] is happening.”

The art exhibition will continue its tour in a number of additional venues in Mexico. 

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.