Michel Blazy's Vanity Case at Galerie Art:Concept

Michel Blazy's exhibition "Vanity Case" at Galerie Art:Concept in Paris (November 5 – December 24, 2005) explores themes of decay, ephemerality, and the passage of time through organic and perishable materials. The show features spider-like forms made from mashed potatoes and carrots crawling on walls and ceiling, one under a glass dome slowly molding. Five polyurethane dogs of different sizes, covered in shaving foam, face each other on the floor—these were previously shown at the Château de Tours, where a planned dovecote was rejected for sanitary reasons. The dogs are reproducible works that engage collectors in a "Blazian grooming" process (shower + foam). Using dog biscuits, Blazy creates a skull and body resembling a human, shifting his inquiry into the living. Works include "Vanité au bacon" (2005), a humorous memento mori with a skull made of croquettes and bacon-slice flowers, and "L'Homme aux oreilles de porc" (2005), an archaeological relic of a hybrid man-pig. "Nature morte molle aux pédoncules" (2005) functions like a recipe: wallpaper glue, agar-agar, fruits, vegetables, and water. The piece cracks, shrivels, and disappears over time. Blazy's drawings also evolve and vanish due to unstable materials. The exhibition challenges art's permanence, raising questions about conservation, acquisition, and presentation.