一個街頭藝術家的故事

Grace一直覺得街頭涂鴉難登大雅之堂，有時甚至認為它們影響市容，只是叛逆少年和小混混用來宣泄內心不滿的產物。然而，本文的主人公讓我看到了街頭藝術家的另一面。

24歲的英國小伙子Eightball和大家熟悉的典型涂鴉藝術家不同。他不僅在倫敦東部的街道上作畫以供大眾欣賞，還建立了一個網站宣傳這種藝術形式。下面他將告訴我們他是怎樣在街頭開始其藝術生涯的。

Starting out

I started doing graffiti[涂鴉] at a really young age; I think I was about 12 or 13. I really liked the idea of drawing on walls – it’s a great form of expression， so I started doing small bits of graffiti on the walls around my neighbourhood with a small black spray can[噴霧器]. At first I enjoyed drawing little characters and portraits of myself that conveyed[傳達] different emotions. I tried to reflect the emotions people feel during war or through suffering， and I liked to use colour to emphasize[強調] this.

As I got older， I started meeting more graffiti artists who taught me lots of different techniques. We didn’t just doodle[亂畫] or tag[加標簽于] every wall and park bench we came across. We treated them all like a blank canvas and tried to create something that would make people stop and look at it like it was any other piece of art.

Getting Graffiti Inspiration

I get inspiration for my graffiti from everyday life， people， music and artists. If I see something that I like， something that I hate， or something that interests me， I’ll

graffiti about it. I love the work of Picasso， Ron English注1 and Simon Bisley注2. These artists got me interested in painting and drawing because of their unique styles， so I try to emulate[努力趕上] what they did in a more modern style on the streets for everyone to see. I don’t think art should be confined[限制] to galleries and exhibitions. Art should be everywhere you look and that is what I’m trying to promote. The graffiti artist Mode 2 is， to me， the originator[創作者] of great style and characters.

I love graffiti because it’s open to everybody， not just the elite[精英] scene – you don’t have to be rich or educated. Anybody can admire a detailed colourful piece of graffiti. Graffiti is all about expression and it’s free for all to see. I started my website because I wanted to make my work accessible[能接近的] to more people. Not everyone will be able to find my work on the streets， so I wanted a portal[入口，大門] that people could use to see what I’m about and what I’m doing. It was pretty easy to set up and has gone down really well.

Bringing Artists Together

A lot of positive[積極的] things come out of graffiti. I’ve been involved in many projects locally that promote awareness of graffiti in the community. These projects have brought lots of different people and cultures together to create incredible[難以置信的] art. I think a lot more people should be educated about the art form. If people understood what we’re about and what we’re trying to do perhaps they’d appreciate it more. Defining art all depends on the individual. Some people may get involved in the illegal[違法的] stuff and some may not， but that doesn’t mean that you should demonise[使成為魔鬼] the whole art form.

Advice to Aspiring[有抱負的] Artists

Like most forms of art， it’s always important to study the origins of what you do. You can learn a lot from the early pioneers of graffiti as well as the older graffiti artists who are on the streets. If you see a piece of graffiti you like then find out who made it， track them down and speak to them. A lot of older artists take on trainees and teach younger artists their style. This is probably the best way to get into it and improve your skills.

Graffiti and the Law

I’ve had a few run-ins[（尤指與警方、官方機構的）爭執] with the law but nothing too serious. This is the problem with the laws around graffiti; it’s so difficult to actually get your art across when there are so many barriers stopping people. There’s so much talent out there and I feel like it’s being held back by the powers that be[掌權者].

In five years’ time I would hope that graffiti is more accessible to young people. It’s quite hard to get involved in it at the moment without breaking the law. I’d like to see workshops being held in community centres and more open walls where artists can create their own worlds. Artists like Banksy are definitely making the art form extremely popular， and I think this will help to get younger people involved.

結下淵源

很小的時候我就開始玩涂鴉了；我想大約是12、13歲吧。我很喜歡在墻上畫畫——這是一種很棒的自我表達方式，于是我開始用一小罐黑色噴漆在所住街區的墻上做點涂鴉。一開始，我喜歡畫一些可以表達不同感情的小人物和自畫像。我想反映處于戰爭或痛苦中的人的感受，并喜歡用色彩加以強調。

年紀漸長以后，我慢慢認識了更多涂鴉藝術家，他們教會我很多不同的技巧。我們并不是一看到墻壁或公園長椅就會在上面涂涂畫畫，留下印記，而是把它們當作空白的畫布，想在上面創作一些能讓人駐足欣賞的作品，就像其它藝術品一樣。

獲取靈感

我的涂鴉靈感來自日常生活、周圍的人、音樂以及藝術家。當我看到自己喜歡、憎惡或感興趣的事物，我就會把它涂鴉下來。我喜歡畢加索、羅恩·英格利希和西蒙·比斯利的作品。……