diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 94563336b5..200b29e192 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ deps-debian-x64:
     - export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${GIMP_PREFIX}/lib/`gcc -print-multiarch`:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
     - export XDG_DATA_DIRS="${GIMP_PREFIX}/share:/usr/local/share:/usr/share"
     - export GI_TYPELIB_PATH="${GIMP_PREFIX}/lib/`gcc -print-multiarch`/girepository-1.0/:${GI_TYPELIB_PATH}"
+    - git submodule update --init
   needs: ["deps-debian-x64"]
 
 gimp-debian-x64:
@@ -542,6 +543,7 @@ gimp-win-x64-cross:
     - apt-cache
   script:
     - export PATH="`pwd`/.local/bin:$PATH"
+    - git submodule update --init
     - crossroad w64 gimp --run="build/windows/gitlab-ci/2_build-gimp-crossroad.sh"
   needs: ["deps-win-x64-cross"]
   artifacts:
@@ -641,6 +643,7 @@ gimp-win-x86-cross:
     - apt-cache
   script:
     - export PATH="`pwd`/.local/bin:$PATH"
+    - git submodule update --init
     - crossroad w32 gimp --run="build/windows/gitlab-ci/2_build-gimp-crossroad.sh"
   needs: ["deps-win-x86-cross", "deps-win-x64-cross"]
   artifacts:
@@ -741,6 +744,7 @@ gimp-win-a64:
     - windows-aarch64
   before_script:
     # C:\msys64\usr\bin\pacman --noconfirm -Syyuu
+    - git submodule update --init
   script:
     - $stuck = Test-Path -Path "C:\msys64\var\lib\pacman\db.lck" -PathType Leaf
     - if ($stuck -eq "True") {
@@ -848,6 +852,7 @@ gimp-win-x64:
     - win32-ps
   before_script:
     - C:\msys64\usr\bin\pacman --noconfirm -Syyuu
+    - git submodule update --init
   script:
     - C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "bash -x ./build/windows/gitlab-ci/2_build-gimp-msys2.sh"
   artifacts:
@@ -940,6 +945,7 @@ gimp-win-x86:
     - win32-ps
   before_script:
     - C:\msys64\usr\bin\pacman --noconfirm -Syyuu
+    - git submodule update --init
   script:
     - C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "bash -x ./build/windows/gitlab-ci/2_build-gimp-msys2.sh"
   artifacts:
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b3a996d91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[submodule "gimp-data"]
+	path = gimp-data
+	url = https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp-data.git
+	shallow = true
+	branch = wip/Jehan/git-submodules
diff --git a/app/gui/icon-themes.c b/app/gui/icon-themes.c
index b13d74257c..224f8fb3fb 100644
--- a/app/gui/icon-themes.c
+++ b/app/gui/icon-themes.c
@@ -255,8 +255,7 @@ icons_apply_theme (Gimp        *gimp,
       gchar *path;
 
       path = g_build_filename (g_getenv ("GIMP_TESTING_ABS_TOP_SRCDIR"),
-                               "subprojects", "gimp-data", "icons",
-                               icon_theme_name, NULL);
+                               "gimp-data", "icons", icon_theme_name, NULL);
       file = g_file_new_for_path (path);
 
       applied = gimp_icons_set_icon_theme (file);
diff --git a/build/windows/gimp.rc.in b/build/windows/gimp.rc.in
index 846ad0445a..716e2a5015 100644
--- a/build/windows/gimp.rc.in
+++ b/build/windows/gimp.rc.in
@@ -64,6 +64,6 @@ BEGIN
 END
 
 #include "winuser.h"
-1	ICON	QUOTE(TOP_SRCDIR) "/subprojects/gimp-data/images/gimp.ico"
+1	ICON	QUOTE(TOP_SRCDIR) "/gimp-data/images/gimp.ico"
 2	ICON	QUOTE(TOP_SRCDIR) "/build/windows/fileicon.ico"
 CREATEPROCESS_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID RT_MANIFEST QUOTE(TOP_SRCDIR) "/build/windows/gimp.manifest"
diff --git a/gimp-data b/gimp-data
new file mode 160000
index 0000000000..c364adb888
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gimp-data
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit c364adb888ad2299f56451706c5cd875c98e3059
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index ba6ab50948..93da57ca5f 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1827,16 +1827,8 @@ else
   gimp_exe_name=gimpmain_exe_name
 endif
 
-# Loading gimp-data subproject, the versions must be in sync.
-gimp_data = subproject('gimp-data', version: '=' + gimp_version,
-                       default_options: [
-                         'gimp-datadir=' + gimpdatadir,
-                         'gimp-exe='     + gimp_exe_name,
-                       ])
-icons_imgs_sources = gimp_data.get_variable('icons_imgs_sources')
-icons_core_sources = gimp_data.get_variable('icons_core_sources')
-cursors_sources    = gimp_data.get_variable('cursors_sources')
-pickers_sources    = gimp_data.get_variable('pickers_sources')
+# gimp-data submodule
+subdir('gimp-data')
 
 # Libraries (order here is important!)
 subdir('libgimpcolor')
diff --git a/subprojects/gimp-data.wrap b/subprojects/gimp-data.wrap
deleted file mode 100644
index 2ed5f498d6..0000000000
--- a/subprojects/gimp-data.wrap
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-[wrap-git]
-url      = https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp-data
-revision = main
-depth    = 1