Looking at a wall of bark paintings from the remote North of Australia in a gallery in Northern Europe can be like facing a literal wall. No way to enter into the mind of the artist and the meaning of the work. No way to penetrate the richness of metaphor and philosophy within. The eye being stimulated but the heart glancing off at an angle with curiosity stimulated, but understanding denied. We can feel that there is something happening other than aimless decoration, but we cannot fathom what the intention is.
