While visiting Haiti, Karine Giboulo had the privilege to be invited into the homes of the inhabitants of Village Démocratie, a slum area in the shadow of Port-Au-Prince.
In the gallery space, she juxtaposes two opposite worlds. Upon entering the gallery, spectators find themselves face to face with a large glass-covered building seen from a “Godzilla’s-eye” view. On the roof of this building, they see comical scenes in which people are completely absorbed in high society games. Jutting out from the middle and the sides of the building is a series of small structures stuck together. As spectators lean closer to this colourful decor made of recycled and recuperated objects from Village Démocratie, they discover about a hundred small characters going about their daily life.
Village démocratie: Phase 1 is the beginning of a series that will eventually be composed of over 500 figurines. The series is inspired by visits to many slum areas in Central America and Africa.
“I am building an imaginary city that brings together North and South, opulence and hunger, showing the contrast between two realities, illustrating, materializing and questioning the invisible bonds that attach us all to each other.”
— Karine Giboulo
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Karine Giboulo
Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. She has studied plastic arts at the Cégep du Vieux-Montréal and art history at the Université de Montréal. Her works have been exhibited in Québec, Ontario, Newfoundland, the United States and France. The artist acknowledges the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
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