Monkman's work is known for its subversive humor, its appropriation of Western art historical styles, and its centering of Indigenous perspectives. The Daddies directly confronts Canada's colonial history and reclaims Indigenous presence and agency within that narrative.
Born: 1965, St. Marys, Ontario, Canada
Nationality: Cree
Style: Painting, Performance Art, Installation
Influences: Cree culture, art history, queer theory
Major Exhibitions: "The Daddies" (2016), "Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience" (2017-2020), "Miss Chief's Wet Dream" (2019)
Quote: "I'm interested in using humor and satire to challenge stereotypes and tell a different story."
Website: https://kentmonkman.com/
The Daddies is a large-scale painting that reimagines a historical scene, Robert Harris's Fathers of Confederation, with Monkman's alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a glamorous, two-spirit figure, at the center. The painting is filled with Indigenous and European figures, challenging colonial narratives and power structures.
