“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ― Pablo Picasso At the same time, in amongst the dust of everyday life, there is art.
The Balinese mountain of Ubud has long been a retreat for artists.
Artists began to pimp Bangladesh's rickhsaws in the 1950s, with fashions changing between regions and decades.
A colourful rickshaw in Dinajpur, Bangladesh.
Carvings on the 1700s Kartanagar Temple, Dinajpur, Bangladesh.
Magnificent stained glass windows in the old Vakhsh Hotel, in the Tajikistan capital, Dushanbe.
8th centur carvings at Somapura Mahavihara Buddhist monastry, Bogra, Bangladesh.
Movie posters in Bangadesh.
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Greece, displays some of the finest arts of the ancient world.
9th century Borobodur, Java, Indonesia, the largest Buddhist monoument in the world, is decorated with 2,672 relief panels, and 504 Buddha statues.
Like no dance I have seen before, smashing plates, dancing on them barefoot, playing with fire. Bukittingi, Indonesia.
Graceful dance moves, similar to Khmer and Thai dance, in Bukittingi, Indonesia.
A roving musician play his lute for wedding parties in Ethiopia's Gondar Castle.
Ethiopia has the longest Christian history in Africa. Its Orthodox churches are usually decorated with colourful murals depicting the bible stories.
Mosaics glorify musicians on Dushanbe's walls, Tajikistan.
More classics public art in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
In the grounds of our hotel in Istaravshan, Tajikitsan, a wedding band blows up a storm.
Patriotic artwork adorns a building in northern Tajikistan.
Traditional arts and culture stil survive the pressures of modern life in Bali, Indonesia.
There are around 2000 petroglyphs near Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan, dating back as far as 800BC.
A scene from Cirque's "Kazoo", a show I was privileged to work for for six months.
An acrobat performs a flip, with her legs strapped to a pole, Cirque Du Soleil, "Kooza".
Canberra is not the most exciting city, but it does have so excellent galleries and museums.
The National Gallery, Canberra, has a variety of permanent exhibitions, including its South East Asian displays, showing pieces like this from Indonesia.
One of the pieces from the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, of modern Aboriginal art.
Traditional mask of Thursday Island, which is in Australia's Torres Strait, in the National Gallery, Canberra.
"The Aboriginal Memorial" consists of 200 hollow log coffins from Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, stands as a memorial to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who lost their lives during the colonial occupation in Australia from 1788 to 1988.
It may have been a performance staged for tourists, but there was no doubting the dancers' commitment.
A drummer in traditional garb for a dance performance in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
In the wheat growing town of Rochester, Australia, an old silo gets a new lease of life as a canvas and tourist attraction.
Many towns have jumped onto the silo art trend, hoping tourist and campers will break the journey and spend some money. We did!
More cave paintings Nourlangie (Burrungkuy) whch rivals or passes Ubirr for importance.
Lightning Man is one of the most famous and important images in Kakadu, found at Nourlangie (Burrungkuy).
Some of the oldest cabe paintings in the world are at Ubirr, in the east of Kakadu National Park, in Australia's Northern Territory.
A heros monument in Ulan Batur shows just a wee bit of Soviet influence.
I love doors. Here, an ornately carved door guards a long abandoned home in the tumble-down parts of Ibra, Oman.
Arabic inscription decorates a door of an abandoned house in central Oman.
Another carved door in Al Hamra, Oman.
Ornately carved chest in Jabreen Castle, one of the many historical places to visit in Nizwa.
Riding through Burma, dusk forced a stop in Meiktila, where by chance a festival was taking place, including this drama and musical performance.