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