"The unbreakable code" , by Erik Pevernagie,(100 x 130 cm), oil on canvas

In the face of the numerous attempts to establish shared agreements, human understanding often remains enigmatic and motivations impenetrable.

When we cannot share our values any longer, and our incipient intentions have become blurry, common understanding may turn into irredeemable misunderstanding. If the spirit of shared perspectives and commitments breaks up, suspicion, remorse, or regret stand on the doorstep. As such, shared initiatives ought to be reasoned and well-thought-out to avoid ‘understanding’ becoming ‘misunderstanding’ and ‘hope’ breaking down into ‘heartbreak.’

To avoid interminable discussions, many prefer to settle matters by encrypting everything. In that way, they want to brand their common understanding using codes.

Codes and semiotic conventions are a challenge for human communication as they seal off people with a privacy protection label. They make them accessible only by using a barcode that might estrange them from their surroundings. At the same time, however, they procure them a kind of reassurance in their comfort zone. This dialectical situation may keep them struggling during their entire life.

Unless one has the unconditional key, many codes remain unbreakable in our society, and cognitive abilities very often do not allow us to decipher the real facts.

Phenomenon: Codes and human understanding

Factual starting point of the pictureː woman with code bar