The World Today – How to Close the Inequality Gap 2021

Curator: What strikes me first about this piece, "The World Today – How to Close the Inequality Gap" by Owen Gent from 2021, is the isolation. The solitary figure atop the large land mass has a silent power. Editor: I feel a deep sense of… unease. There's this chasm, right? Between that lonely, dominant figure and the huddled mass of people on the smaller land form. It's a bleak painting. The color palette doesn't help, lots of stormy blues and browns that suggest turbulence and oppression, or at least a social climate. Curator: Owen Gent’s work frequently delves into such social and political arenas. Think of those watercolor illustrations – how gently and humanely he presents people in dire circumstances, though. This piece uses that aesthetic approach. It’s powerful in its subtle contrasts; that singular silhouette really emphasizes the division suggested in the title. Editor: Absolutely. The single figure and group are presented as polar opposites. Even the watercolor and acrylic-paint aesthetic, in a subdued palette, underlines the somber reflection on inequality. You've got almost everyone cramped onto the small space. Does their closeness foster greater equity within their group, despite them having been pushed into that setting? That figure on the large island, bathed in a gentler light…it all just hits you. It provokes this question of resources and accessibility that feel increasingly prevalent. Curator: And the symbolism – that body of water acting as both divider and potential connector. We read “figuration” in Gent’s landscapes and cityscapes so clearly. The water implies movement and hope of finding access between the two places. It speaks to the necessity for bridging those chasms. Editor: It’s a beautifully stark illustration, that, I think, visually echoes modern societal imbalances, prompting some profound questions. I’m still pondering the connection this artwork tries to bring. Curator: Precisely, isn’t it? Art as a question, as a provocation rather than an answer. A beautiful call for equality in today's turbulent landscape. Editor: Definitely a potent and troubling visual statement about our present world and the urgent need for change. Thanks for making it all clear!