Michel Blazy

Since his studies at the Villa Arson in the 90s, the artist has been working with organic materials and is interested in exploring the beauty of decay and the poetic possibilities of the passing of time as these materials are allowed to deteriorate over the course of an exhibition. The artist’s repertoire to date has included a large mushroom-like form made entirely of soy noodles; sculptures constructed of squeezed-out orange halves; paintings of mashed potato and beetroot purée; pizza paintings and pasta sculptures, and a sculptural grotto on which mung beans sprouted and grew over the period of display. Opening up the controlled environment of the museum to the unpredictability of natural processes and effectively creating a multi-sensory and ever-changing experience as these perishable materials physically change, Blazy’s installations encourage audiences to question notions of repulsion and disgust and re-think our assumptions about aesthetic beauty. ...