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Corynn Kokolakis

Artist member since 2019
Pro
Toronto, Ontario

Corynn Kokolakis is a figurative painter whose practice merges the disparate roles of mother and artist. Influenced by motion and materiality, her vivid renderings explore memory, childhood development, and caregiving. Her direct painting style investigates the labour of mark-making and material characteristics of oil paint: playing between the stillness of the image and the dynamic movements inherent in the physical process.

Corynn earned her BFA in Drawing and Painting from OCADU, where she was awarded the Akin, Partial, and Jumpstart Career Launchers and is currently pursuing her MFA in Visual Arts at York U. Recent accolades include the Glay Sperling Prize and a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Master's Scholarship. She has been featured on Global News, BT, CP24, CBC Radio, and She does the City. Corynn works out of her home studio in Toronto and her work can be found in private collections in the UK, the US, France, Australia, and Canada.


Work

Filament
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 48" x 48" x 1.5"
  • $2750 buy — $150 try
Tuck
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 12" x 12" x 1.5"
  • $330 buy — $40 try
Grasp
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 12" x 12" x 1.5"
  • $330 buy — $40 try
Glide
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 12" x 12" x 1.5"
  • $330 buy — $40 try
Staging 2
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 48" x 24" x 1.5"
  • $1600 buy — $100 try
Staging 1
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 48" x 24" x 1.5"
  • $1600 buy — $100 try
Extricate
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 48" x 30" x 1.5"
  • $2000 buy — $100 try
Train
  • Corynn Kokolakis
  • 36" x 48" x 1.5"
  • $2200 buy — $110 try

Inside the Studio


Q+A

Describe your home in 3 words

Controlled. Kid. Chaos.

Best season of the year in Toronto

Pumpkin Spice, of course.

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?

My return to painting after a long hiatus came quickly and fiercely. 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.

Upcoming Exhibitions
0023-04-24

Special Projects Gallery, York University
Motherwork

Select Past Exhibitions
2022

Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Scarborough
Corynn Kokolakis & Marlene Kawelez

2022

Gales Gallery, York University
MMXXII - Graduate Exhibition

2022

Art Mur, Montreal
Fresh Paint/New Constructions

2022

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

2022

Special Projects Gallery, York University, Toronto
With And For

2021

Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto
Resurfacing

2021

York University, Toronto
MMXXI - Graduate Exhibition

2021

Online, Toronto
Art Gems Auction

2020

Online, Toronto
OSA 147th Open Juried Exhibition

2020

Baycrest Health & Sciences, Toronto
Collectors Circle

2020

Toronto
Art walk in the Square, Online,

2020

Kalifer Culture Hub, Baycrest Health & Sciences, Toronto
Fresh

2020

Toronto
Toronto "Online" Art Fair

2020

Toronto
Riverdale Art Walk Online

2020

Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto
4⁴ \ four-by-four \: an immersive virtual art show

2019

Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Scarborough
Introspection, Scarborough Arts 34th Annual Juried Exhibition

2019

Toronto Public Library-Leaside
Into View

2019

Women's Art Association of Canada, Toronto
Exuberant

2019

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto

2019

PI Fine Art, Toronto
Artist Feature

2019

OCADU, Toronto
GradEx 104

2018

OCADU, Toronto
Look Inside

2018

Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke
OSA 2018 Emerging Artist Juried Exhibition

2018

Artists' Network Gallery, Toronto
Transitions: Madsie Bouffard, Corynn Kokolakis & Zoey Zoric

2018

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto

2018

Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts, Toronto
A Portrait Gallery: Juried Group Exhibition

2018

Museum of Northern History, Kirkland Lake
11th Annual Juried Art Exhibition

2018

Arta Gallery, Toronto
Dear World

2017

Gerrard Art Space, Toronto
The Painting Show

Accolades
2022

Glay Sperling Prize

2022

SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master's Scholarship

2022

Ontario Graduate Scholarship

2021

York University Graduate Fellowship

2020

OCADU
Jumpstart Career Launcher

2019

OCADU
Akin Studio Career Launcher

2018

Artist's Network
Best in Show-Art Walk in the Square

Press
2020

Toronto "Online" Art Fair
Curated Collection by Robert Houle

2019

She Does the City
"GradEx 2019: Corynn Kokolakis’ art marks the world through a caregiver's eyes,"

2019

OCADU
OCAD-U Highlights 'Ones to Watch' On Eve of Massive, Free Art Event,

2019

CP24
Jamie Checks out OCAD University's 104th GradEx art exhibit,

2019

Breakfast Television, CTV
Nicole LIVE at OCAD University

Education

York University
MFA Visual Arts

2019

OCADU
BFA- Drawing and Painting

1998

Centennial College
Visual Arts Certificate

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