Reality done small

Stepping inside Montreal-based artist Karine Giboulo’s exhibition at the Gardiner Museum, visitors may feel remiss for not having brought a hostess gift. An immersive reimagining of Giboulo’s own home (fittingly titled Housewarming), visitors pass through life-sized recreations of the artist's kitchen, bedroom and backyard, to discover that the home is inhabited by more than 500 miniature polymer clay figures, positioned inside and on furniture, appliances and everyday objects.

No Lilliputian fantasy, the stories these figures tell are achingly contemporary and poignant. On the kitchen countertop, a lineup of people, masked and socially distanced, await access to a food bank. In the bedroom, the drawer of a dresser opens to reveal rows of masked factory workers hunched over industrial sewing machines. In the laundry room, a forgotten iron causes a forest fire, forcing animals to flee their natural habitat.

We caught up with Giboulo to find out more about her miniature figures and how she brings them to life. 

AGOinsider: Your artistic career began with illustration.  How and why did you make the shift from paper to clay? 

Giboulo: In my early twenties, when I began working seriously on my art, I was mostly drawing and painting. I made a series of paintings filled with little characters that told stories about environmental issues. I remember having this vision to realize them in 3-D, but I had never worked in sculpture before. I went to an art supply store and bought a box of polymer clay, which doesn’t require any specialized equipment—I could bake the pieces in my kitchen oven.  I quickly realized that it was more natural for me to work in 3-D. I haven’t stopped since!

AGOinsider: Can you tell us about the process of creating one of your figures?  Do they have names and roles, like actors? What comes first, the character or the situation? 

Giboulo: First, I build an armature using metal wire. Then I shape the body and face with a lot of attention to detail before adding clothing. After baking the figures, I paint them. Even after more than twenty years, I still love to see how the figures come alive through this process. I remember each one I’ve ever made!

Some figurines are based on real people and in those cases, they have a name!  They all have roles and tell stories. Most of the time, the situation came first. Right now, I am working with filmmakers on a documentary about the life of Mohamed Shofi, a Rohingya refugee now living in Quebec City. This film will combine Mohammed Shofi’s personal account of his life – narrated by him – with my dioramas. Shofi spent the first 18 years of his life in Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp. As he doesn't have any photos of this period, I have the huge responsibility of making his memories come to life through my sculptures. It’s such a rich and interesting collaboration. 

AGOinsider: This exhibition opens with a reimagining of your living space, an invitation for visitors to be voyeurs and to scrutinize.  What prompted this desire to expose yourself like this? 

Giboulo: That's a good question! In fact, I’m a very introverted person, so it is a bit contradictory! I think this particular moment in my life and our collective experience during the pandemic made the creation of this body of work very meaningful. It was particularly challenging for me to exhibit work about my invisible illness in the bedroom of my reimagined house at the Gardiner. A few months before the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of degenerative arthritis affecting my bones and spine. I rarely talk about this, and very few people know about it, even if it's a big part of my life! It took a bit of courage! In the end, I am happy to have shared these personal works with the public, as I have been receiving many testimonials from people facing similar issues.

AGOinsider: You could create artworks at any size. What about the miniature attracts you as an artist? 

Giboulo: I like to tell stories and miniatures are the perfect size to create a story in 3-D. I don't know exactly why I’m so attracted to miniatures, but I really just see them in my head. When I look at the real world, my brain automatically shrinks what I see. I also like the playfulness of miniatures even if my subjects are often very serious. I always feel a sense of play when I work.

AGOinsider: Fiction is laced with tales of tiny people – from Tom Thumb to The Borrowers. Do you fear viewers will mistake your work for fantasy? 

Giboulo: I honestly never think about that. My goal is to create a conversation with the spectator and I have confidence in them. Even on a miniature scale, I believe my work is very rooted in the real world. But of course, each person will have a different perspective on my work depending on their background. 

Curated by Karine Tsoumis, Housewarming is on view now at the Gardiner Museum until May 7, 2023. On February 1, from 6 to 8 pm, Giboulo will be at the Gardiner for a free evening of art and social action in partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank. For more information and to register for exhibition programs, visit gardinermuseum.on.ca/event/karine-giboulo-housewarming.