Summits and Shadows Poster

A dramatic digital painting visualises the theme of societal injustice stemming from extreme wealth. The composition features a towering banquet table, adorned with shimmering gold and silver, where extravagantly dressed figures feast in oblivious luxury. Below this table, in austere grayscale, crowds of underprivileged people look upward, some stretching hands, others fading into shadows. Subtle yet impactful details enrich the narrative: plates and goblets bearing faint barcodes and price tags; faint, almost hidden, silhouettes of workers and children silently propping up the banquet; pockets of environmental decay—a polluted river, a crumbling school, an abandoned hospital bed—woven throughout the background. At the image’s edge, just visible, ghostly outlines of protest signs and raised fists suggest simmering unrest waiting to emerge. This piece uses layered textures, gold effects for the wealthy, and gritty, washed-out layers for the masses. It invites viewers to confront the divide between opulence and deprivation, while alluding to the unseen costs that make such wealth possible.