從街頭到政府，馬耳他的全民涂鴉計劃

A visitor’s eyes never quite adjust to Malta.

馬耳他的風景向來令游客目不暇接。

The fierce glare of the sun. The ocher-colored tones that adorn the island’s medieval architecture. The unimaginable blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

強烈而炫目的日光。點綴著島上中世紀建筑的赭色色調(diào)。地中海那不可思議的藍。

And perhaps most shocking — the graffiti.

以及也許最令人震撼的——街頭涂鴉。

Most cities around the world denounce, or grudgingly tolerate, painting on public property. But on the Mediterranean island of Malta, the process is encouraged.

世界上的大多數(shù)城市對在公物上隨意涂畫都持譴責或者勉強接受的態(tài)度。但在地中海小島馬耳他，這一行為卻是被鼓勵倡導的。

In the shade of a pedestrian bridge, where old men and women sit on the concrete benches, staring out to sea, a wall has been splashed with color and the spray-painted words “NO WAR.”

在人行天橋下的陰涼處，老人們坐在水泥長凳上遠望大海。這里的一面墻被潑上顏料，噴繪著“NO WAR"(不要戰(zhàn)爭)。

The phrase is part of a mural of a crying child carrying a teddy bear that’s been shot in the head.

這是一幅墻壁涂鴉的一部分，圖中哭泣的兒童抱著他被子彈擊中頭部的泰迪熊。

This wall, like many on the island, was earmarked by the local council for street art.

這面墻，像島上的其他許多面墻一樣，是由當?shù)刂鞴芙诸^藝術(shù)的委員會繪制的。

Malta is so fond of what other cities would call graffiti, a government agency, Arts Council Malta, teaches street art in schools and even in some retirement homes.

馬耳他十分熱愛這種被其他城市稱為街頭涂鴉的藝術(shù)形式。這里成立了專門的政府機構(gòu)馬耳他藝術(shù)理事會，負責在學校甚至養(yǎng)老院教授街頭藝術(shù)。

James Grimaud, the artist who painted the antiwar mural, teaches students to sketch, make stencils and use spray paint.

詹姆斯·格里莫德(James Grimaud)是一位繪制反戰(zhàn)壁畫的藝術(shù)家，他還教授學生素描、制作噴刷磨具和噴繪。

Sandra Borg, of the arts council, said the street art projects “engage with numerous communities and contribute directly to urban regeneration.”

藝術(shù)理事會成員桑德拉·博格(Sandra Borg)認為，街頭藝術(shù)項目“連接接洽了無數(shù)社區(qū)，并且直接為城市的新生做出了貢獻。”

The island’s streets had traditionally been dotted with works of devotional art, depicting figures like the Virgin Mary, and Mr. Grimaud said “there isn’t a history of vandalism on the island.”

這個小島上的街道一直以來被富有宗教色彩的藝術(shù)所裝點，描繪諸如圣母瑪利亞之類的人物。“這個島上從來沒有故意毀壞文化藝術(shù)的歷史。”格里莫德說。

That might be part of why the modern murals, which are more likely to focus on political corruption or the commercialization of the island, are still treated with a kind of secular reverence.

也許正因為如此，盡管大部分島上的當代壁畫都以政治腐敗和商業(yè)化加劇為主題，它們?nèi)匀坏玫搅耸浪椎淖鹬亍?br />