LE MONDE / novembre 20th 2006

BLEIB

Canine ballet and social criticism (in) between laughter and anger

(…)
Michel Schweizer answers the question of the crumbling community with this ephemeral group. He answers speed with slowness. Against picture plugging and marketing bodybuilding he sets a rock-solid formal austerity. The stage is empty, it only comes alive through the two clever little rascals and is crossed by the runs of the Belgian sheepdogs and their sculptural poses. If you like dogs, the almost threatening plastic beauty of Bleib opus #3 is obvious. Its underlying sadness breaks also through its neat staging shell. The discreet despair always gives to Schweizer’s shows, whether it be Kings (2000) or Scan (2003), a unique taste between laughter, anger and helplessness. It’s all about nuance with Michel Schweizer. His incredibly lucid irony suggests that nothing must be taken literally. Not being fooled, there lies part of the solution. The other part is to try and stay on the lookout in order to avoid the multiple shots trying to knock us down.

Rosita Boisseau