Greg “Croaola” Simkins invites viewers back into his strange, surreal worlds in a new collection of paintings. His new show, “No Strings,” occupies KP Projects Gallery in Los Angeles. Simkins was featured in and created the cover for Hi-Fructose Vol. 41, and he was last featured on HiFructose.com here. The show kicks off May 20 and lasts through June 17.
“In painting this show, I found myself examining my own life and insecurities while looking at my role as a father and seeing my sons make choices and their repercussions,” Simkins says. “I feel like I am always battling becoming one of those boys who were turned into donkeys on Pleasure Island. These childhood stories, along with a brush loaded with paint have assisted me as I navigate through these paths and try to save the strings which knit me to my own conscience.”
The show partially pays homage to the classic narrative of Pinocchio, and in specific, the bleaker original version of the story and the bright Disney take. That duality is present in this new collection of works, moving between different emotions and moods in each piece. The Simkins-created fictional world “The Outside” serves as the backdrop to these works.