Canadian photographer Jonathan Hobin’s series In the Playroom is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable. Hobin calls these photos “tableau-vivant re-enactments” of current events, “a metaphor for the impossibility of a protective space safe from the reach of modern media.” Risque as it sounds in pitch alone, we like where he’s going with this… but not necessarily where he went with it or the implications he’s making. See his elaborately staged scenes of children play-acting prison torture, smiling sweetly over poisoned Kool-Aid above a pile of slumped dolls and other morbid scenes in our gallery and judge for yourself.
The Twins. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
A Boo Grave. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
American Idol. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
Dear Leader. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
DIANA’S DEAD. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
Boxing Day. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
White Nights. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
39 Lashes. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
Vegas Wedding. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
The Saints. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
Spring Break. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin
Seal Heart. Courtesy Jonathan Hobin