Corynn Kokolakis
Artist member since 2019
ProToronto, Ontario
Corynn Kokolakis is a Toronto-based painter working at the intersection of painting and caregiving. Her paintings document the mostly invisible parts of care labour — the accumulated attention, the physical proximity, the labour of being alongside another person as they grow. Rooted in her dual position as mother and painter, her research repositions the gaze from rational and possessive to attentive and reflexive, making visible what can be seen from within a practice of care.
Kokolakis completed an MFA in Visual Arts at York University in 2023, supported by a SSHRC CGS Master's Scholarship. She earned a BFA in Drawing and Painting from OCADU, where she was awarded the Akin and JumpStart Career Launchers. Notable exhibitions include Rails End Gallery (2024), Art Mûr (2022), Cedar Ridge Creative Centre (2022) and Baycrest Health (2020). In 2024 she participated in a residency at Vermont Studio Center and received a Project Grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Her work is held in the Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre at Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto, and in private collections in Canada, the UK, the US, Australia, and France.
Inside the Studio
Q+A
When I'm not making art, I'm (a) ...
caregiver. Which is to say I'm always doing one or the other, and increasingly I'm not sure they're as separate as I once thought.
Describe the person your work appeals to in 3 words
Watchers. Carers. Returners.
Favourite musical artist / band right now
Brandi Carlile, as I get older it seems I'm returning to my roots. I'm in awe of her talent drive and powerful female perspective.
Coffees per day and from where
3. Fresh ground, french press or pour over, at home or in studio, strong and black please.
Why is art important to you?
Art is the vehicle for connection, in an era of increased digital access to everything, real life physical engagement with and through art is becoming more and more essential.
When did you start making art, and why?
I have learned over the last few years that painting is not only a cornerstone of my identity it is an essential part of wellbeing, in retrospect I have always been a maker in one form or another.
Upcoming Exhibitions
2026-03-26
Select Past Exhibitions
2024
2023
2023
2022
2022
2022
2021
2020
2020
2020
2020
2019
2019
2019
2019
2019
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
Accolades
2024
2023
2022
2022
2022
2021
2020
2019
Press
2020
2019
2019
2019
2019
Residencies
2024
Education
2023
2019
1998
Social
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