
“Injustice” by Noma Bar effectively demonstrates figure/ground, presenting two images for the mind to separate: a face and a fist. The white fist acts as the ground, while the black, negative space behind it morphs into the figure or the silhouette of a face. Typically the brain distinguishes the larger area of an image as the ground and the smaller as a figure. While in Bar’s image the black space is much larger than the space the fist consumes, the face itself only appears at the knuckles, giving the fist the illusion of being the bigger object. Additionally, the choice of making the fist the ground (the first thing we see) and the face the figure (the second thing we see) could be seen as symbolic, suggesting the lack of awareness we have on how criminals are treated. This poster’s use of figure/ground is not only thought-provoking but an excellent advertisement for an educative event about injustice in crime.