Dollhouse

Telenovela Suburbia follows the melodramatic exploits of Monica, a housewife lost in suburban purgatory. Torn between her alcoholic husband and narcissistic bodybuilding lover, Monica struggles against the ennui of her life in a suburban dollhouse. These scenes are metaphors for Khuzami’s life and the lives of others she’s known, and they’re suffused with melancholy, violence, eroticism and a generous dose of dark humor. Each “episode” of this ongoing series was arranged as a tableau using vintage toys in a dollhouse, then painted in a hyper-realistic style. Khuzami was also inspired by the movies of David Lynch and Todd Solondz and brought her training as a filmmaker to the lighting, staging and set dressing of each scene. Telenovela Suburbia turns a critical eye on the American dream, while disrupting suburbia with subversive acts of desire.