Incarcerated Scholars Conference Art Gallery 2024

The Struggle Within

Dustin Duhe

J.F. Ingram State Technical College, student

Alabama

Artist Statement

The tiger, being a lone animal instead of a pack animal, has always been an animal I felt an affinity with. The tigers represent the battle against self that we all struggle with, whether the struggle is over something as small as whether or not we should eat dessert, or a struggle over addiction. In this painting, the Siberian tiger, the white tiger, represents the aberrant thought as tigers are predominantly orange. The Bengal tiger, the orange tiger, representing our conscious decision making, is confronting the thoughts of eating more, or indulging in an addictive behavior. The leaping of the fish represents the effects that our actions have on our surroundings, including families, friends, coworkers and even strangers that we encounter. Just as our personal problems can influence our moods, and our moods color our interactions with others, the conflict between the two tigers is affecting the fish, even though the tigers don’t even register the presence of the fish in the midst of their struggle, just as we don’t always notice the effects of our actions on our environment.

If you are the artist of an artwork featured in this gallery and want it removed, please reach out to alliance@higheredinprison.org