延续一贯的独特作风，艺术家Pejac近日在西班牙最古老的监狱（Penitentiary Center of El Dueso）中完成了一系列艺术作品。这座监狱位于Pejac的家乡桑坦德，四周被沼泽环绕，能够俯瞰到坎塔布里亚海。建筑于20世纪初便已建成，其所在的场地在历史上曾是拿破仑修筑的军用堡垒。艺术家对这样一个特殊的场地进行了一次富有诗意的干预：他花费了11天的时间，以墙壁、庭院和走廊为“画布”进行创作，最终完成了名为“金矿”（Gold Mine）的作品系列。该系列由3个单独的作品构成，旨在传达一种对人类生存诉求的关注：对逆境的反抗、对创造的需要，以及最重要的——留下痕迹的愿望。

Determined to continue the conveying of his extraordinary views and art in the most peculiar places, from Al-Azraq refugee camp in the deserts of north Jordan to abandoned factories in Croatia, Pejac recently completed a series of interventions within the oldest prison in Spain, the Penitentiary Center of El Dueso. Located at the entrance of artist’s hometown of Santander, overlooking the Cantabrian sea and surrounded by marshes, the prison built at the beginning of the 20th century on the remains of an old Napoleon’s fort was another challenging setting to carry out his poetic interventions. For 11 days, its walls, courtyards, and corridors became the artist’s workplace, giving life to the Gold Mine project in that sense. The project integrates three singular pieces, which as a whole represent the value of the human condition, its resistance to adversity, the need to create, and its desire, above all, to leave a mark.

▼El Dueso监狱中心，Penitentiary Center of El Dueso

“监狱本身是一个被裹挟在残酷现实中的场所，同时，它还令我感受到一种超现实主义的控诉，仿佛只要轻轻刮一下墙壁，就能发现藏在里面的诗句。”

“A prison itself is a place wrapped in harsh reality and at the same time, I feel that it has a great surrealist charge. It is as if you only need to scratch a little on its walls to discover the poetry hidden inside.” – Pejac

▼监狱的铁丝网水泥墙，the walls of the prison built with cement and barbed wires

“这幅壁画讲述的是监狱里最宝贵的美德之一：顽强的耐力。在一些服刑者的帮助下，我在监狱的墙壁上绘制了标志性的斜杠图案（用于标识服刑年份）来记录“在牢里”的日子。我们画了几千个斜杠标识，最终形成一棵树的样子，以此来传达时间流逝且希望仍在的想法。每一个被困的日子都使你更加接近自由，茂密的圣栎树林就生长在这高墙的背后。”

“This mural speaks about perseverance as one of the most valuable virtues between El Dueso’s walls. With the help of the inmates, I painted the iconic hash marks originally drawn on the walls of the cells to keep track of the days “inside”. We painted thousands of them, playing with shapes and superimposing them to create volumes that finally represent the shape of an immense tree that contains the passage of time and hope. Each day inside is a day that brings you closer to the freedom and the holm oak forest behind the walls of this prison.” – Pejac

“这项作品是在监狱庭院的篮球场上完成的，我在篮板上使用了22克拉的金箔。作品的含义借助它的错视效果被表达出来：金子有时候也不会发光。我个人很喜欢这种将日常物件变成奢侈品的想法，即使是身在监狱中的犯人也可以每天使用。在每个人能够企及的范围内创造奢侈。”

“For this piece, I used the real 22-carat gold leaf on the basketball court backboard from the prison’s courtyard. The illusory visual effect of trompe l’oeil has done the rest, indicating that sometimes it is gold that does not shine. I like the idea of transforming an everyday object into a luxury object so that the inmates can use it and play with it daily. Creating luxury within everyone’s reach.” – Pejac

“在我第一次看到这条由水泥和带刺铁丝网构成的走道时，我便想要为之增添一些诗意的元素，为每天要经过他的人减少一些冰冷的压迫感。我们也许可以想象，这些墙壁实际上是由滑动门构成的，它们可以像嵌入式衣柜那样被打开。或者还可以这么想……”

“When I first saw this corridor with only cement and barbed wires, I felt I needed to add a poetic element that would detract from the hardness and pressure of those who pass between these walls daily. Let’s wanted to imagine that they are actually made up of sliding doors which can open as if it were an immense built-in wardrobe. Let’s imagine… ” – Pejac

该项目是坎塔布里亚教育、文化和体育部的文化主管Eva Ranea委任项目的一部分。特别感谢服刑者的积极回应和参与使这一项目成为可能。同时还要感谢El Dueso监狱中心的管理人员和教育工作者对项目投入的巨大热情和努力。

This project is a part of the commitment of Eva Ranea, General Director of Culture for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Government of Cantabria. Special thanks not only to the inmates, who with their response, attitude and involvement have made this possible, but also to the El Dueso Penitentiary Center’s management and its educators who have put so much enthusiasm and effort into it.