‘Housewarming’ is Karine Giboulo's newest exhibition that explores feelings of isolation and daily lives during pandemic times

By: Ionna Hipolito

Montreal-based artist Karine Giboulo presents “Housewarming” at Gardiner Museum in Toronto as a reimagined version of her home, embodied in over 500 miniature polymer clay figures and furniture.

Sharing the then-common sentiment of being confined and stuck at home during the pandemic, Giboulo used her home as the base model for “Housewarming,” hoping to “explore the state of the world” through her art, as she mentioned in her interview statement. The exhibit is available for viewing from Oct. 20, 2022 to May 7, 2023, on the third floor at Gardiner Museum.

Giboulo began working on this project in 2020 as a creative outlet during the unprecedented time. The entire exhibition took about two years to complete, and the process of creating the clay figures started on her kitchen table.

“When I was in my home for the first two to three weeks, I was in shock and not really working,” Giboulo said. “After the initial shock, the more I worked, it became a really creative process for me. I was not able to do the work I was doing before — it helped me [cope].”

Having previously worked on paintings that featured “little figures” and their stories, Giboulo was inspired to create 3D versions of those figures. “I’ve never sculpted before that. I didn’t even have any equipment. I just went to an art store and bought this box of clay, and when I started to work with it, it was easier than doing 2D works,” she explained.

The artist said one of her favourite parts in putting together the exhibition was working with the museum staff and the exhibition manager through a Zoom meeting. “We built [the] whole house and placed the work, and it was super fun and really exciting.”

Giboulo invites visitors to immerse themselves in the experience and discover the stories told throughout the journey in her reimagined home. The miniature figures interact and blend with everyday household furniture to portray a bigger picture; there are also installations inside Amazon boxes that address social and environmental issues. The boxes can be located outside the "house" perimeter and inside rooms, but Giboulo provides the audience with a pamphlet that guides them through a recommended viewing order.

Miniature Amazon workers preparing packages in a warehouse created by Karine Giboulo and displayed at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto from Oct. 20, 2022, to May 7, 2023. (Ionna Hipolito/CanCulture)

For me, these were the most memorable rooms in “Housewarming:”

By My Door

A parcel is placed at the front of a door. Peer through a hole on the box, and you will see an Amazon warehouse with an array of masked employees preparing packages to be delivered to people in the safety of their homes. Giboulo does a wonderful job prompting visitors to reflect on the inaccessibility of remote work in specific industries and how much we rely on the labour of others to find comfort.

Miniature figures wait in line at the “food bank” to buy groceries, created by Karine Giboulo and displayed at the Gardener Museum in Toronto from Oct. 20, 2022, to May 7, 2023. (Ionna Hipolito/CanCulture)

My Kitchen

Within her simulated kitchen, Giboulo incorporates a reusable grocery bag as a “Food Bank.” In the kitchen, figures with masks sit over countertops, socially distanced and waiting in line. She uses the installation to highlight food insecurity amid the pandemic, its negative impacts on vulnerable community members and their struggle to obtain even basic necessities.

Miniature figures are trapped inside glass jars to visually represent social distancing and isolation. Created by Karine Giboulo and displayed at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto from Oct. 20, 2022, to May 7, 2023. (Ionna Hipolito/CanCulture)

My Pantry

Straight ahead of the kitchen is Giboulo’s replicated pantry. On the shelves are figures of healthcare workers and the elderly encased in glass jars, emphasizing isolation and abandonment during a crisis. Seniors were among the most affected groups during the pandemic because of their weaker immune systems and susceptibility to getting sick.

“The pandemic just made a situation that already existed worse,” Giboulo said. With our busy lifestyles, we often need to remember to check up on our older relatives. The pandemic further restricted us from seeing them and caring for them as much as we did pre-pandemic. As both seniors and healthcare workers are trapped inside the jars, it symbolizes their isolation from their family, friends and loved ones. These jars are placed in the pantry to symbolize a place and an issue we do not visit frequently.

In a chest drawer inside the bedroom, the clay figures portray the common exploitation of female labour workers in factory settings. Created by Karine Giboulo and displayed at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto from Oct. 20, 2022, to May 7, 2023. (Ionna Hipolito/CanCulture)

My Bedroom

This room is an inviting space with feminine touches. The bedroom’s chest of drawers reveals a clothing factory lined with masked female-presenting figures working on sewing machines. Giboulo highlights how society plays a role in gendered labour, consumption and waste while emphasizing women's exploitation in factory-like environments. “There’s also the [aspect] of closing those drawers and [staying oblivious] to things when we don’t want to see the truth,” Giboulo said.

The artist explains that this room resonated with her the most because of the personal touches about her grandmother, sickness and most importantly, herself. “This was a piece that really touched me.”

Visitors can follow the artist and her intimate journey with self-acceptance through self-portraits and personal traces in the installation.

Karine Giboulo is now working on a documentary for her next project; she expressed that “Housewarming” was a way for her to capture the last two to three years. “And in the next few years, this can be like an artifact of what happened.” And what continues to happen.

Carefully analyzing the figures makes it easier to relate to the stories and their characters. The artist playfully and realistically encompasses the state of our world while addressing other pre-existing political matters all through the tiny holes and detailed carvings that make up each piece.

Canadian artists are finding solace in depicting social connections through their work showcased at the Toronto exhibition

By: Teresa Valenton

Ibrahim Abusitta’s earliest work in this collection that refers to his childhood. The memories of billiards continue on through his works as a homage to these recurring themes, showcased at the Art Toronto exhibition at Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Though COVID-19 has not reached its end, artists showcase their desire for pre-pandemic nostalgia at Art Toronto, Canada’s oldest and largest international art fair.

Hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Oct. 27-30, the three-day event offered visitors a look into over 90 galleries from across the world. Presenting a variety of works from installations to project spaces, the event gave a closer look into the works of contemporary artists.

Opening up discussions about identity, memories and creative processes, panels were also held for upcoming artists to delve deeper into their presented works. With daily tours hosted by experienced curators, collectors and artists, visitors were met with extensive artistic knowledge when stepping into the space.

Ibrahim Abusitta’s complete collection that presents a deeper look into human connection, with billiard scenes and club gatherings, he paints with solace in mind. Showcased at Art Toronto inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Shifting from a photographer to a painter throughout his career, Palestinian-Canadian artist Ibrahim Abusitta finds a voice in a new medium for expression.

“It's nice to be back in a big venue to display the work like this. Usually when I’m doing these shows, it’s a group show with a couple of pieces, so it was cool to feature a few more at this art fair,” said Abusitta.

As common themes weaved themselves through various works of art, the precedence of the pandemic remains as one. Looking back to the importance of human connection, Abusitta captures solemnity through his paintings.

“For me, there is a personal connection to social gatherings and those that have been missed in the past,” said Abusitta. “The concept was to connect with these missed and forgotten memories.”

Utilising cool colour palettes with hues of blue, purple and contrasting yellow, Abusitta creates scenes that let viewers seep into unfamiliar feelings of sonder–the uncountable realization that those around us, strangers and family alike, have complex lives that we may never be privvy. Objectively creating works of art that resemble windows into tightly-knit communal spaces, viewers are almost driven to insert themselves into Abusitta’s scenes.

The Silver Dollar Room (2022) captures the essence of Toronto nightlife as Abusitta juxtaposes these sort of social gatherings pre-pandemic to those of today. Displayed at Art Toronto inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Created for local audiences, Abusitta’s “The Silver Dollar Room” is focused on the Toronto music venue that was demolished in 2018. Despite The Silver Dollar Room being completely rebuilt at a new location, Abusitta’s piece is a tactile memory to commemorate the original space as a means of contact. Including the surrounding buildings on the outlines of the painting, he states his intent to remind viewers of the space the venue had once occupied. “This is an intentional memory of the past for the local Toronto viewership who know that this venue no longer exists,” Abusitta said.

Looking back to the importance of human connection, Abusitta captures solemnity through his paintings.

Holding value to the pieces themselves, Abusitta compares his art to the permanence of a tattoo. “When I look at my paintings it’s like a memory of that time, just like a tattoo. Even though it will be there forever, there is a new meaning to the creative process.”

Drawing on the past once more, Canadian-British self-taught visual artist Maggie Hall uses pop culture references to reminisce in childhood memories. Displaying paintings that she has worked on over the last few years at Art Toronto, Hall said she feels excited for visitors to witness the product of her efforts.

For the last 10 years, Hall has dedicated time to her craft on a daily basis. Constantly working to improve her skills while facing a multitude of personal challenges, she emphasises the importance of valuing herself through her art.

Featuring her ongoing Cheezies series, Hall brings the Canadian staple to the international eye. Overwhelmed by the presence of American pop culture, she highlights the snack as the main focus of her work while questioning Canada’s place in the media. “There are lots of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s references. But I thought, what about Canada? We have a lot of great iconography, so we should use them,” Hall said.

Two of many installations of Maggie Hall’s Cheezies series that have brought viewers together to recall nostalgic childhood memories at the Toronto Art Fair held inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Driven by her goal to change the pop culture scene, Hall wants to redirect these conversations away from American exceptionalism. Using Cheezies bags as a main example, Hall recalls her personal connection to the snack. Upon a conversation with her partner about their shared love for the product, Hall decided to create a painting that would later change her career.

Hall said many Instagram users messaged her about the piece as they recalled their personal stories towards the painting’s subject. A client even requested Hall to paint another instalment of the series — a bag to memorialize childhood fishing trips with their grandfather.

“I kept getting messages about how this snack has centred family relationships, so I just kept painting them and I realised that they were a very important symbol for Canadians,” Hall said.

Continuously expressing interest in visual arts from childhood, Hall allows art to take a growing precedence in her life.

“When I was a child, my father gave me crayons upon crayons and I would just sit alone in my room and paint or draw. It was something I was always drawn to, but when I was around 18 I put it down for 10 years or so because I got distracted,” Hall said. “I didn’t think I was good enough, but about 10 years ago, when I was 28, I realised I wanted to pursue this.”

Hall’s artworks on display at the fair which include her typography works incorporated onto old artworks, concrete and more pop culture references. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Attaining new levels of success as a self-taught artist, Hall was astounded upon finding out her work would be exhibited at Art Toronto.

Abusitta and Hall are two of many artists who showcased their work at Art Toronto. With a display of different artistic mediums and means of expression, visitors of the exhibition were met with an abundance of artwork to appreciate and stories to be uncovered.