Burning for Freedom by Shane Daly
Medium: Acrylic on canvas board
Dimensions: 18 x 24
Artist Statement: In 1963 in Vietnam, a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc chose to publicly immolate himself in the name of religious freedom. This image has become synonymous with both the Vietnam War (which was then in its early stages) &, in my mind, the quintessance of defiance. This man had the courage to meditate calmly while his fellow monks doused him with gasoline, set him alight, & photographed the act to record his bravery & publicize his cause. I have been transfixed with this image my entire life. This monk chose to defy the most basic inherent human instinct - our will to survive - in the name of freedom. I myself am a defiant person in many ways, & have suffered persecution at the hands of the D.O.C & "justice" system for both my gender identity & my religion. Recently I spent weeks in the RHU, falsely accused of "practicing witchcraft" against a C.O. with a personal agenda to torture me. While there, I thought a lot about Thich Quang Duc & derived strength & inspiration from his awesome sacrifice. I truly admire & resonate with that kind of spirit. He used his defiance to die for his cause. Personally, I use defiance as a reason to survive & force those around me to see me, & know that all their hatred still is not enough to take me out of this world. My singular act of defiance is my choice to live & maintain my unique individual flame in the face of all those parts of this system designed only to extinguish it.
Image description: Acyrlic painting with an expressionistic style. In the middle of the image, a human figure sits, surrounded in billowing flames in bright orange, red, and yellow. The person’s face is grayish and blue, with closed eyes and a stoic expression. The flames sweep around the person in a growing arc, reaching up from below the person and curling back down. A can of gasoline is behind the person, and a blue car is in the background.