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. Her research has been presented at the International Association of Maternal Action and Scholarship (IAMAS) conference, Boston University. 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. She has held teaching roles at OCAD University, York University, and Centennial College. 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.
Corynn Kokolakis | Toronto, ON
solo exhibitions
2024 M(y)otherwork, curated by Laurie Jones, Rails End Gallery, Haliburton
2023 M(y)otherwork, Kikospace, Toronto
2022 Into View, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Toronto
2021 Resurfacing, Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto
2019 Mothering Into View, Leaside Public Library, Toronto
selected group exhibitions
2026 Artist Project, Art of the Game (Juried), Enercare Centre, Toronto
2025 Art Gems Auction, Creative Works Studio, Toronto, (2024, 2023, 2021)
2023 a juncture, a join, a strait, a pinch, Collision Gallery, Toronto
2023 Bind, Special Projects Gallery, York University, Toronto
2023 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto, (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
2022 MMXXII – Graduate Exhibition, York University, Toronto
2022 Fresh Paint/New Constructions, Art Mûr, Montreal
2022 With And For, Special Projects Gallery, York University, Toronto
2021 MMXXI– Graduate Exhibition, York University, Toronto
2021 Summer Group Show, Blue Crow Gallery, Toronto, (2018, 2019)
2020 PI Art Squared, Art Alchemy, Toronto
2020 Ontario Society of Artists 147th Open Juried Exhibition, Toronto
2020 The Collectors Circle, Baycrest Health & Sciences, Toronto
2020 4⁴ \ four-by-four \: an immersive virtual art show, Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto
2020 Fresh, Kalifer Culture Hub, Baycrest Health & Sciences, Toronto
2019 Introspection, Scarborough Arts 34th Annual Juried Exhibition, Cedar Ridge Creative Center, Scarborough
2019 Momentum– Grand Opening Exhibition, Artists’ Network Gallery, Toronto – People’s Choice Award
2019 Exuberant, Women’s Art Association of Canada, Toronto
2019 Artist Feature, PI Fine Art, Toronto
2019 GradEx 104, OCAD University, Toronto
public collections
2024 Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre, Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto
residencies
2024 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont
curatorial
2020 Vital Signs, Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto, Curated with Anda Kubis
education
2023 York University, MFA Visual Arts
2019 OCAD University, BFA Drawing & Painting
2001 Ontario College of Art & Design, Drawing and Painting
1998 Centennial College, Certificate in General Arts and Science – Visual Arts
grants and awards
2024 Project Grant, Emerging Artist, Ontario Arts Council
2023 Thesis Prize Nominee, York University
2023 Academic Excellence Scholarship, York University
2022 Glay Sperling Prize, Curtlands Foundation
2022 Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship, SSHRC
2022 Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Offered
2021 Graduate Fellowship, York University
2020 Canadian Tire JumpStart Career Launcher, Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers, OCAD University
2019 Akin Collective Career Launcher, Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers, OCAD University
2019 Partial Gallery Career Launcher, Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers, OCAD University