A visitor’s eyes never quite adjust to Malta.

马耳他的风景向来令游客目不暇接。

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

强烈而炫目的日光。点缀着岛上中世纪建筑的赭色色调。地中海那不可思议的蓝。

And perhaps most shocking — the graffiti.

以及也许最令人震撼的——街头涂鸦。

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

世界上的大多数城市对在公物上随意涂画都持谴责或者勉强接受的态度。但在地中海小岛马耳他，这一行为却是被鼓励倡导的。

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.”

在人行天桥下的阴凉处，老人们坐在水泥长凳上远望大海。这里的一面墙被泼上颜料，喷绘着“NO WAR"(不要战争)。

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

这是一幅墙壁涂鸦的一部分，图中哭泣的儿童抱着他被子弹击中头部的泰迪熊。

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

这面墙，像岛上的其他许多面墙一样，是由当地主管街头艺术的委员会绘制的。

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.

马耳他十分热爱这种被其他城市称为街头涂鸦的艺术形式。这里成立了专门的政府机构马耳他艺术理事会，负责在学校甚至养老院教授街头艺术。

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)是一位绘制反战壁画的艺术家，他还教授学生素描、制作喷刷磨具和喷绘。

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

艺术理事会成员桑德拉·博格(Sandra Borg)认为，街头艺术项目“连接接洽了无数社区，并且直接为城市的新生做出了贡献。”

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.”

这个小岛上的街道一直以来被富有宗教色彩的艺术所装点，描绘诸如圣母玛利亚之类的人物。“这个岛上从来没有故意毁坏文化艺术的历史。”格里莫德说。

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.

也许正因为如此，尽管大部分岛上的当代壁画都以政治腐败和商业化加剧为主题，它们仍然得到了世俗的尊重。