(Clearwisdom.net) On May 1 and 2, 2004, practitioners in Calgary, Canada had a booth and display at the May Works Festival.
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| Practitioner displays one of his paintings; it is based on a famous photograph of police pulling down banners held high by Falun Gong practitioners on Tiananmen Square. | Practitioners' booth |
This year's "May Works Festival" was held from April 28 to May 9, 2004, and attracted many participants. More than 40 works from 20 artists were selected for the exhibition. Among the selected works was a painting titled, "Unfurling banners at Tiananmen Square" by Falun Gong practitioner and arts college student Michael.
When reporters asked him why he created this piece, Michael said, "The scene comes from a photo I once saw. It shows two Falun Dafa practitioners facing the danger of being killed in Tiananmen Square, facing soldiers rushing to catch them as they unfurled banners reading 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' and shouted 'Falun Dafa is great.' I was moved by the photo, and it inspired me to create this painting." After that, he added that as a student, he still had a lot to learn. He said that he worked very hard and finished the painting entirely in his spare time, especially on weekends. It took about 30 hours to finish.
In the exhibition hall, Michael's works were placed in a high visibility area near the entrance. The booth had a banner reading "Falun Dafa is great," truth clarification display boards, flyers, and VCDs. Truth-clarifying films were played on a laptop computer. Many visitors stopped by.
When learning that Falun Gong is being severely persecuted in China, many signed their names to express their support. One lady took two magazines (A Witness of History), and said, "I know some important people. I'll present the magazines to them, and let them know about this and call for the end to the persecution." Another lady read a record of female Falun Gong practitioners suffering persecution in China in the magazine. As there was only one copy left, she asked, "Can I take it? I'd like to present the magazine to my women's organization."
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