Acrylic Figurative Sculptures

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Place des Arts in Montreal is pleased to present Arnait by Karine Giboulo in its exhibition hall, a space for citizen reflection open to all. Central to her process is a friendship d...

The Responsibility of Stories: Karine Giboulo’s Broken Circle Text by Sasha Gora Shoulders shrugged, a man stands among row after row of empty single beds. Like the beds, with frames that tilt and mattresses that hang a bit too far to the right, his posture is wobbly, a little unsure. It is hard to tell if he is looking ahead, or if his gaze is cast down. Part of Karine Giboulo’s Broken Circle, the empty beds are haunting as they reference the history of residential schools. The man’s stare suggests the weight of memory, the burden of stories. Giboulo employs sculpture as a mode of storytelling. The Montreal-based artist creates elaborate miniature worlds that are reminiscent of dioramas and ethnographic museum displays. Behind their precious scale and warm colours are harsh observations and critiques of the world’s economic and social ills. For her exhibition at Art Mûr, Giboulo delicately engages with Canada’s broken relationship with First Nations communities. Past projects have brought Giboulo to China (All you can eat, 2008), Haiti (Democracy Village, 2012), and India (City of Dreams, 2013). Back in Canada, Giboulo realized even though she grew up close to the Manawan community, Lanaudière, she had never set foot on a reserve. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released a summary in 2015 that describes the residential school system as cultural genocide. “Cultural” seems to soften the punch; however, cultural genocide is a component to genocide, not a different type. The commission’s head Justice Murray Sinclair states “ . . . this is not an aboriginal problem, it's a Canadian problem." Broken Circle imparts a similar view. This is an installation about Canada...

The Responsibility of Stories: Karine Giboulo’s Broken Circle Text by Sasha Gora Shoulders shrugged, a man stands among row after row of empty single beds. Like the beds, with frames that tilt and mattresses that hang a bit too far to the right, his posture is wobbly, a little unsure. It is hard to tell if he is looking ahead, or if his gaze is cast down. Part of Karine Giboulo’s Broken Circle, the empty beds are haunting as they reference the history of residential schools. The man’s stare suggests the weight of memory, the burden of stories. Giboulo employs sculpture as a mode of storytelling. The Montreal-based artist creates elaborate miniature worlds that are reminiscent of dioramas and ethnographic museum displays. Behind their precious scale and warm colours are harsh observations and critiques of the world’s economic and social ills. For her exhibition at Art Mûr, Giboulo delicately engages with Canada’s broken relationship with First Nations communities. Past projects have brought Giboulo to China (All you can eat, 2008), Haiti (Democracy Village, 2012), and India (City of Dreams, 2013). Back in Canada, Giboulo realized even though she grew up close to the Manawan community, Lanaudière, she had never set foot on a reserve. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released a summary in 2015 that describes the residential school system as cultural genocide. “Cultural” seems to soften the punch; however, cultural genocide is a component to genocide, not a different type. The commission’s head Justice Murray Sinclair states “ . . . this is not an aboriginal problem, it's a Canadian problem." Broken Circle imparts a similar view. This is an installation about Canada...