(Clearwisdom.net) On February 25, people from different walks of life attended the opening ceremony of the "Uncompromising Spirit" art exhibition in New South Wales. The exhibition will also be held at the University of Technology in Sydney from March 16 to 18.

A guest cutting the ribbon for the opening ceremony

The exhibition site

People watched "Sandstorm," a movie that sheds lights on the truth of the persecution

New South Wales Green Party Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Ian Cohen gave a speech at the ceremony. He said that it is difficult to imagine that people could be tortured to this extent simply for wishing to meditate peacefully. Mr. Cohen said that the free world cannot accept the fact that Falun Gong practitioners in China have been tortured physically and mentally for 5 years. He said that a sustained effort is needed to improve China's human rights record. "As a green party member, I have always been supporting people's right to express themselves and their rights of belief. Society needs people who dare to speak out for justice and democracy," the MLC said.

In her congratulatory letter to the exhibition, City Council Member Terry Ryan wrote that she firmly believed that this exhibition would bring a worldwide force together to end the appalling persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist regime. She wrote: "The persecution must be ended, and will be ended!" She said that evil actions are exposed quickly in this modern age of communication, and commented on the persecution, saying that it should never be tolerated.

A scholar who spoke several languages fluently spoke out in Chinese during the ceremony: "Falun Dafa is good, and the Communist Party is not good at all!" The scholar said that people understood courage and witnessed the spirit of courage from the paintings. He also dedicated a poem he had written entitled, "Light will eventually defeat the long night," to the exhibition.

After the opening ceremony, the organizers showed the award-winning movie, "Sandstorm." The exhibition and the movie touched the heart of every visitor. Many wrote their comments and reflections. Some of these comments are published below:

A young artist wrote, "I am very glad to see the exhibition, it truly touched my heart and my heart is connected to all the practitioners who are being persecuted."

An undergraduate student wrote, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the truly-needed spirit of this age... actually all the ages. The persecution of Falun Gong must be ended, thank you!"

A woman who runs several galleries wrote: "A very powerful exhibition which portrays the suffering [of Falun Gong practitioners] and the beauty [of Falun Dafa]." The lady also promised to help practitioners hold exhibitions at several other venues.

A descendent of a holocaust survivor wrote: "Very very good exhibition, I have learned a lot. I think you must be a group of great people. The exhibition is very touching, and the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners is beyond my imagination. I will pray for every Falun Gong practitioner who is being persecuted in Mainland China, and I will try my best in Australia to help you stop the persecution. I have sensed the courage and justice as well as the reverent spirit behind the art works. Thank you all for having widened my scope!"

Upon seeing the painting, "Force-feeding," a woman told us, "I had a dream yesterday which was identical to this painting. The lady who was being tortured as shown by the painting told me that the police officers were trying to insert some very dry stuff into her stomach, she said that I could help end this. After that, the gate of heaven opened and I saw a very beautiful place. As soon as I saw this painting today, I told myself that my dream was to tell me that I should tell everyone the facts about Falun Gong."

Just as it was stated in the introduction to the exhibition: The longevity and universal appeal of artwork lie in their beauty and inner meaning, which are beyond this time-space dimension, and in their power to purify and uplift people's spirits.