Some tourists are better than others |
Colin Gradon is a Geordie who came to visit the island last month for his holiday. He was a resident for ten years and has been a regular visitor for the last twenty years. You might call him an environmental activist and he'd probably agree with you, because he's just spent two weeks on holiday here, but spent much of his time, on his way to the beach, stopping to paint out inferior examples of graffiti that he has found scrawled on electricity sub-stations around the island.
Inferior? I hear you ask. isn't that a matter of personal opinion, artistic interpretation, taste or life style?
On these points Colin speaks with authority, he has done his research and can be considered an expert in his field. Here on Ibiza he has identified the work of several itinerant international graffiti artists whose work can be found all over Europe. He specifically points out some examples of works recently applied to the island infrastructure incorporating the signatures "MAD" or "BAR". These refer to exponents from the cities of Madrid and Barcelona who originally brought graffiti over from the mainland about 7 years ago. 'Kids being kids' we now see primitive attempts at emulation adorning more and more of the countryside as the next generation of 'local artists' hone their skills.
However, as Colin points out, graffiti is not art it is a signature that gratifies only the artist who installed it and who derives pleasure from finding it still there months later. He might tell his mates that it was all his own work, but they would have to be sworn to absolute secrecy. Isn't that diametrically opposed to the reason that people make art?
Ultimately the problem stems from mainland tourists leaving their mark on their holiday destination. They hope to be able to find their territorial mark upon their return, but the last thing another visitor to the island wants to find here is the same sort of drivel that adorns the darker corners of the cities from which they've escaped?
Nonetheless, despite his mission, Colin does not interfere with political graffiti, where graver issues than an individual's ego are involved.
He also points out that once eradicated the graffiti rarely re-appears in the same spot. It takes a lot longer to apply the original graffiti than it does to apply the whitewash!
I always thought we paid taxes for these cleaning services? For every dustbin 'fairy' noisily at work at 4 in the morning there must be another with a paintbrush decorating the morning flowers and eradicating the overnight graffiti?
Many of you may have thought that the council had finally got their act together - the fact is that it took one man in his hire car with a can of paint about half an hour a day out of his holiday, plus the cost of the paint (30 euro for 25 kg).
He doesn't begrudge the cost - he thinks it's a cheap price to pay to continue to keep the island as close to paradise as possible.
Next time you notice some of his work say a prayer for him and his intentions. And when you bump into him on his next holiday, with a paintbrush in his hand by the roadside, leap out and shake his other hand whilst thanking him on behalf of all of us.
Alternatively you can thank him personally at: colin.gradon@hotmail.com
