何謂混亂？何謂樂趣？這種二元對立其實是否是一種謬誤的非黑即白？它能否被解構 —— 如果可以，又該如何實現？從事藝術創作或許是一個好的開始。但對 Maite y Manuel 來說，創作不過是孩童般的遊戲，因為試圖理解這些龐大而艱深的問題，實在是「浪費時間」。

What is chaos, and what is fun? Is this kind of binary opposition in fact a false dichotomy? Can it be undone — and if so, how? Working with art may be a good start. But for Maite y Manuel, the work is no more than childlike play, because really, “it’s a waste of time to try to understand” all these big, hard questions.

👆 封面圖片 Featured image: Not a comic, 2025
塑膠彩、樹脂、石墨及鉛筆布本
Acrylic, resin, pitt graphite and pencil on canvas
130 × 162 厘米 cm

(圖片連結 Link to image)

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步入 Maite y Manuel 的工作室，你會看到一個充滿趣味創作的混亂空間。這對二人組化身為他們標誌性的人形角色，而這些線條勾勒而成的小生命也為他們古怪的創作者注入了活力。Maite y Manuel 創作的核心是一張草圖。他們在同一頁面上同時創作，沉默地擁抱凌亂、不完美與共享的直覺。這種不斷變化的材料實驗方式是多麼出色！

Walk into the studio of Maite y Manuel and you will see a chaotic space filled with fun creations. The duo embody their iconic anthropomorphic characters, just as these little lives in lines enliven their quirky creators. At the core of Maite y Manuel’s practice is a sketch. Working simultaneously on the very same page in silence, they embrace messiness, imperfection and shared intuition. How brilliant is such a method of material experimentation in constant motion!

與 Maite y Manuel 一起生活和創作的，還有一隻據說因睡覺地點而被命名為 Atún 的狗。Atún 似乎是藝術家繪畫創作的重要靈感來源，只因他們筆下的角色常常是一對像狗一樣爭吵不休的伴侶。儘管在任何時間片段中他們似乎永遠在爭執，可是這些角色也反映了存在的動態本質：到來與離去、沉迷與受苦、濕潤與乾燥、戀愛與叛逆⋯⋯

Living and creating together with Maite y Manuel is a dog who appears to be named Atún, according to where it sleeps. Atún seems to have been a major source of inspiration for the artists’ paintings, whose characters are often a dog-like bickering couple. Despite arguing forever in any given fragment of time, they also reflect the dynamic nature of being: coming and defecting, indulging and suffering, wetting and drying, loving and revolting…

在 Maite y Manuel 的網站上，你可以點擊連結找到他們從工作室精心挑選的播放清單。看到跨越時空的多元選擇真是既有趣又令人興奮：從坂本龍一的《1919》（1996年），展現了二人組的緊迫感、到 Eduardo Mateo 的《La Máquina del Tiempo》（1999年）以致敬他們的烏拉圭根源，再到布魯克林的 Purelink 的環境音樂《First Iota》（2025年）。對於不同創作而作出多元選擇 —— 這樣繪畫與音樂之間的呼應難道不令人著迷嗎？

On Maite y Manuel’s website, you can follow a link to find their curated playlist from the studio. It is most interesting and exciting to see a variety of choices across time and space, ranging from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “1919” (1996) that recognises the duo’s sense of urgency and Eduardo Mateo’s “La Máquina del Tiempo” (1999) that honours their Uruguayan roots, to Brooklyn-based Purelink’s ambient “First Iota” (2025). Diverse selections for diverse creations — is this call and response between painting and music not utterly fascinating?

這究竟是混亂，還是樂趣？對 Maite y Manuel 來說，一切皆是混亂且又充滿樂趣。作為一個二人組（當然還有 Atún 和音樂相伴），這對藝術家從一開始就明白，他們追求的是和諧的構圖而非對立；否則，你以為他們為甚麼自稱 Maite y Manuel 呢？現在，讓我們把音量調高，開始一張草圖吧，準備好了嗎？

Is this chaos or is this fun? With Maite y Manuel, everything is chaotic and fun. Working as a duo (with Atún and music, yes), the artists have realised from the very beginning that they strive for composition rather than opposition — why else would you think they call themselves Maite y Manuel, after all? Now, let’s turn up the volume and start a sketch, shall we?

關於藝術家 ABOUT THE ARTIST

Maite García Argul（1996 年生）與 Manuel Puig（1991 年生）是一對現居西班牙馬略卡的烏拉圭藝術家組合。擁有設計背景的二人在其作品中融合寫實和抽象表現主義，如同自由爵士樂。他們焦慮的姿態描繪了對二元性的迫切探索：混亂與秩序、黑暗與光明，當然還有 Maite y Manuel 本身。

Maite García Argul (born 1996) and Manuel Puig (1991) are a Uruguayan artist duo based in Mallorca, Spain. Both with a background in design, Maite y Manuel embrace figuration and abstract expressionism in their artworks like free jazz. Their anxious gestures paint an urgent exploration of dualities: chaos and order, darkness and lightness — and of course, Maite y Manuel themselves.

Instagram 上的 Maite y Manuel
Maite y Manuel on Instagram:
🔗 https://www.instagram.com/maite_y_manuel

參考資料 REFERENCES

Maite y Manuel 的網站
Website of Maite y Manuel:
🔗 https://maiteymanuel.com

Maite y Manuel 於 Artsy 之個人檔案
Artsy profile of Maite y Manuel:
🔗 https://www.artsy.net/artist/maite-y-manuel

圖片提供：藝術家｜Courtesy of the artist