The Glendon Gallery celebrates an important milestone this year as it marks its 30th anniversary. The gallery opened its anniversary year on Sept. 18 with an exhibition of work by Montreal artist Karine Giboulo. A veritable observer of the world, Giboulo draws her inspiration largely from her day-to-day environment as well as from current events.
In her exhibit titled, Les intérieurs / Interiors, Giboulo casts a critical eye at her everyday surroundings and her society, and recreates these in an invented world which incorporates reality and her interpretation of its meaning. "Her imaginary world combines innocence and flights of fancy with derision and social comment," says Martine Rheault, artistic coordinator of the gallery.
 |
| Above: Karine Giboulo's exhibit Les intérieurs / Interiors at the Glendon Gallery |
Giboulo's artistic offering includes painting on large canvasses in a narrative style combined with comic book features. As she felt the need to explore other genres, Giboulo says she transferred her themes to installation art which complements and interacts with her paintings.
In the Glendon exhibit, the Montreal artist displays large, transparent plexiglass bubbles – each one containing a sort of universe on its own – each one a mirror to an aspect of society. Giboulo's microcosms comment on consumerism, the exploitation of workers, the environment, war, politics –the larger concerns. She also focuses her attention on internal, personal issues such as solitude and relationships.
Right: From left, Glendon Gallery assistant Heather McRay; the artist, Karine Giboulo; gallery assistant Adrienne Baudry; assistant curator Omid Fekri; Glendon Artistic & Cultural Affairs coordinator Martine Rheault; curator Marc Audette and graphic designer Cristina Bregar at the Glendon Gallery
In addition to these spherical universes, Giboulo has expanded her reflections to white tower-like constructions containing two or three levels, each one exploring a single topic in several ways. While the top level may display the physical reality of a family, an individual or a factory workshop, the level below might illustrate the feelings or hardships that reality creates for its participants.
Giboulo is a recognized and frequently exhibited artist, whose work has garnered praise in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and France. This show is making its first stop at Glendon, but will go on to other venues in Canada. As some of the items displayed have already been purchased by a private European contemporary art collector, this may be the only chance for Toronto viewers to see them.
Les intérieurs/Interiors, on view until Oct. 18, is curated by Glendon visual arts professor and artist Marc Audette, with the help of assistant curator (and Glendon student) Omid Fekri and team members Heather McRay and Adrienne Beaudry.
The next exhibition of this anniversary year at the Glendon Gallery will showcase the work of Boja Vasic with and exhibit titled Parallel World – The Architecture of Survival, which runs Oct. 23 to Nov. 16.
The mandate of the Glendon Gallery is its focus on contemporary Canadian art and the promotion of new Canadian artists. For gallery hours and future exhibitions, visit the Glendon Gallery Web site.
Submitted to YFile by Glendon communications officer Marika Kemeny.