Synthétiquement vivant
2004
Early in her creative development, Karine Giboulo painted grand life narratives that took the format of comic strips. Set across several tiers, these detailed imaginary tales are based on current issues such as the impact of human activities on our lifestyle and the environment. Using fantasy and humour, Giboulo goes to extremes to address the absurdities and dysfunction of the human world: a future supplied with manufactured air and synthetic animals. Pointing out the “fakeness” of our world, Giboulo demonstrates that the endless pursuit of trivial materialism, and our ever growing dependency on artificial products leads to the inevitable loss of all things natural and simple, including our innocence.
Giboulo’s paintings warn of a post-apocalyptic future where, after exploiting nature to the point of destruction, we can only recreate it synthetically. Synthetically Alive draws on the inconsistencies and contradictions by which we live, which has become the under-lying theme of Giboulo’s art.
Text: Sharona Adamowicz-Clements
