Greg ‘Craola’ Simkin’s childhood memories have long played an important role and inspiration for his artwork. The playfulness of being a child comes together with creatures of the natural world in his mythical landscapes. He calls this world “the Outside”, a place where the impossible becomes possible, and a cast of anthropomorphized animals set out on bizarre adventures. Simkins expands on this world in his upcoming solo exhibition, “Where Am I?” at KP Project/MKG, opening Saturday. Dreamy and swimming with impeccable detail, his large, painterly new works also leaves the viewer wondering, “Where am I?” Simkins shares, “There is a point during our lifetime when we lose our childhood excitement and curiosities, and become infected with the problems of adulthood. It’s like a part of our brain begins to hibernate or even petrify year by year with every new responsibility. Growing up is a good thing, there are lessons to be learned and passed on to the next generation, but I believe we need to have these windows to glimpse back into and remind us of the feelings we had as a kid. What is the world like beyond the closet door, what is scratching at my bedroom window – what if there really are other worlds to explore and have adventures in — who are the strangers we’d meet there?”
Greg “Craola” Simkins – Where Am I from Birdman on Vimeo.
Jolene Lai returns to Thinkspace Projects with a new collection of eerie paintings. The aptly named "The Beautiful Haunting," starting on Sept. 14, brings her sensibility, seemingly informed by pop mediums and children’s stories to the gallery walls. The painter has a rare ability to evoke the same sense of mystery and danger in settings absent of human occupants. Lai was last featured on our website 
Toronto-based 
The arresting paintings of 