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Crucified frog upsets devout Italians, says culture minister 釘十字架的青蛙觸怒義大利虔誠信徒

A wooden sculpture of a crucified frog, entitled “Zuerst die Fuesse” (Feet First) and made by late German artist Martin Kippenberger in 1990, is shown in an undated photo released in Bolzano, on Aug. 28, 2008. 這件青蛙釘在十字架上的木雕名為「兩腳一伸」，是德國已故藝術家馬丁．齊潘柏格一九九Ｏ年的作品。這張未註明日期的照片，上個月二十八日於波札諾市公佈。 照片：法新社 PHOTO: AFP

The religious feelings of devout Italians are being hurt by a deceased German artist’s representation of a crucified frog, according to culture minister Sandro Bondi.

Martin Kippenberger’s sculpture — which shows a green frog on a cross, gripping a beer on one side and an egg on the other — is on show at the modern art museum in the northern city of Bolzano.

In a statement, Bondi said the piece “hurts the religious sentiments of many people who see in the cross a symbol of the love of God,” as he lashed out at publicly funded venues that engage in “useless provocations.”

Under pressure from local politicians, museum officials recently decided to move the sculpture from the entrance to the third floor — but they are refusing to remove it from view altogether.

Curators say the sculpture — part of an exhibition that runs until Sept. 21 — is a self-portrait of the artist “in a profound state of crisis.” However, regional governor Luis Durnwalder has said the work is out of place in an area that is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

Kippenberg, a native of Dortmund who worked in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris and Cologne, died in Vienna in 1997 aged 44. He was a painter, sculptor and photographer, and some of his work is at the Saatchi gallery in London.

(AFP)

義大利文化部長森卓．邦迪表示，虔誠的義大利信徒認為，一位已故德國藝術家的釘十字架青蛙雕塑，冒犯了他們的宗教。

一隻綠色青蛙被釘在十字架上，一手拿著啤酒，另一隻手上則握著一顆蛋；這件馬丁．齊潘柏格的雕塑作品，目前正在義大利北部的波札諾市當代美術館展示。

邦迪在一份聲明中表示，這件作品「觸犯了許多人的宗教信仰，十字架對他們來說是上帝愛世人的象徵」，他同時也抨擊涉入愚蠢挑釁行為的公營場所。

在當地政治人士的施壓下，館方日前決定把這件作品從大門口移至三樓展覽區，但他們拒絕撤下該作品。

美術館管理人員說，這件雕塑是這位藝術家表達「深切危機感」的自畫像。然而，該區行政首長路易斯．杜倫瓦德卻認為，這件作品在這個絕大多數都是天主教徒的地區展覽實在不太恰當；該展覽展期至九月二十一日為止。

生於多特蒙德的齊潘柏格曾在漢堡、柏林、巴黎及科隆等地創作，一九九七年於維也納逝世，享年四十四歲。他身兼畫家、雕塑家和攝影師；他的部份作品在倫敦的薩奇畫廊展出。

（法新社／翻譯：袁星塵）

TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字 1. devout adj. 虔誠的 (qian2 cheng2 de5) 例: Reese is a devout Catholic who goes to church every Sunday. (芮絲是個虔誠的天主教徒，每週日都會上教會。)   2. symbol n. 象徵 (xiang4 zheng1) 例: Many people think blonde hair is a symbol of beauty. (許多人認為金髮是美的象徵。)   3. sculpture n. 雕塑 (diao1 su4) 例: The mayor unveiled a new sculpture in the town center. (市長為市中心的新雕像揭幕。)   4. native n. 本地人 (ben3 di4 ren2) 例: Although Maxwell is a native of New Hampshire, both his parents are from Texas. (雖然麥克斯威爾是新罕布夏人，但他父母都來自德州。)

SAY WHAT? 說說看 out of place 不恰當的 If something is out of place it is not in its correct position. In the article, the sculpture is out of place in a Catholic area, because it may offend Catholics.  For example: “Tom played really well in the under-15 tennis competition, but he looked completely out of place with the under-18s,” or “Gavin bought a pink sofa, but it looked out of place in his living room, because the rest of the furniture was blue.”  如果某事物「out of place」，就表示它處在一個不恰當的位置。文章中提到，該雕塑不適合展放在天主教地區，因為它可能會冒犯到天主教徒。 例如：「湯姆在十五歲以下青少年網球賽中表現相當好，但他參加十八歲以下的賽組就不合適了」，或是「蓋文買了一張粉紅色沙發，但因為客廳其他家具都是藍色的，所以顯得不太搭調」。

OUT LOUD 對話練習 Tyler: It was a great idea to come to the art gallery.  Anton: Yes, I’m having a great time here. I don’t know why this show got such bad press.  Tyler: Me neither. What’s your favorite exhibit so far?  Anton: I think I liked the abstract paintings best. Some of them are amazing.  Tyler: You’re right, but to tell you truth, I don’t really know what they mean.  Anton: I’m glad you said that, because neither do I!  泰勒：來美術館真是個好主意！ 安東：對啊，我逛得很愉快，不知道為什麼這場展覽的風評不佳。 泰勒：我也不曉得，到目前為止，你最喜歡的是哪件作品？ 安東：我想應該是那些抽象畫，其中有幾幅真是太棒了。 泰勒：你說得對，但說實話，我其實不太懂那些畫到底畫的是什麼。 安東：我很高興聽到你這樣說，因為我也看不懂！   bad press　風評不好 When somebody or something gets a bad press, it means they are publicly criticized. For example: “The company got a bad press for refusing to stop dumping garbage in the sea.” 若某人或某事「get a bad press」，就表示公眾對他們有所批評。例如：「那間公司因拒絕停止傾倒垃圾入海，在社會上風評很差」。

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