Kent Monkman
Kent Monkman is a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry who works with a variety of mediums, including painting, film/video, performance, and installation. His paintings integrate art historical references into contemporary scenes and vice versa, creating a dialogue about "acceptable" visual expression addressing topics of of colonization and homophobia. Monkman's work subverts what is deemed normal using humor and wit, challenging the art historical narrative in early American history as depicted by colonizing Europeans who portrayed Native Americans as outsiders. A common motif in his paintings are homosexual acts between Native Americans and Colonial Settlers and depictions of genderless characters amidst sprawling Canadian landscapes.
Monkman has had solo exhibitions at numerous Canadian museums including the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. He has participated in various international group exhibitions including: The American West, at Compton Verney, in Warwickshire, England, Remember Humanity at Witte de With, Rotterdam, the 2010 Sydney Biennale, My Winnipeg at Maison Rouge, Paris, and Oh Canada!, MASS MOCA. Monkman has created site specific performances at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The Royal Ontario Museum, and at Compton Verney, he has also …
Kent Monkman is a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry who works with a variety of mediums, including painting, film/video, performance, and installation. His paintings integrate art historical references into contemporary scenes and vice versa, creating a dialogue about "acceptable" visual expression addressing topics of of colonization and homophobia. Monkman's work subverts what is deemed normal using humor and wit, challenging the art historical narrative in early American history as depicted by colonizing Europeans who portrayed Native Americans as outsiders. A common motif in his paintings are homosexual acts between Native Americans and Colonial Settlers and depictions of genderless characters amidst sprawling Canadian landscapes.
Monkman has had solo exhibitions at numerous Canadian museums including the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. He has participated in various international group exhibitions including: The American West, at Compton Verney, in Warwickshire, England, Remember Humanity at Witte de With, Rotterdam, the 2010 Sydney Biennale, My Winnipeg at Maison Rouge, Paris, and Oh Canada!, MASS MOCA. Monkman has created site specific performances at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The Royal Ontario Museum, and at Compton Verney, he has also made Super 8 versions of these performances which he calls “Colonial Art Space Interventions.” His award-winning short film and video works have been screened at various national and international festivals, including the 2007 and 2008 Berlinale, and the 2007 and 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Denver Art Museum, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Museum London, the Glenbow Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the Mackenzie Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is represented by Pierre-Francois Ouellette art contemporain in Montreal and Toronto, Trepanier Baer Gallery in Calgary and Peters Projects in Santa Fe.
Courtesy of Artist
