Growing up in Vancouver BC, I immediately was drawn to Kent Monkman, a Canadian artist. Canada has a very specific stereotype: it’s always snowing or is -20 degrees, the folks there only say sorry, and we drink maple syrup as if it’s water. However, Canada is a country enriched with culture. Kent Monkman, being a Canadian First Nations artist, brilliantly portrays the beautiful aspects of indigenous culture. Monkman practises various types of media including: painting, film/video, and installations. The most intriguing part to me is that Monkman identifies as both queer and two spirit. Upon further research, I found out that the two terms are similar but does not mean the same. Two spirit is considered a third gender, unique to indigenous culture. In Monkman’s artwork, he targets the theme of oppression and mechanisms at work with dominant ideology. He focuses his ideology on the concept of colonization and appropriation. I then start to wonder, his unique background must inspire many of his artwork, what are his methods of application?
As James Baldwin says in an excerpt of “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity” “Only an artist can tell, and only artists have told since we have heard of man what it is like for anyone who gets this planet, to survive it, to fear…” After researching about Monkman and hearing Baldwin say such powerful and conceptual words, I immediately thought that Monkman is an artist who speaks a powerful language. With Monkman’s unique identity, he explores the concept of hybridity and utilizes it to discover new identities and historical perspectives. Baldwin explores social responsibility and questions what it means to be divine. He explains that our “hope” comes from the people who enlighten our society and expect nothing. As time moves forward, I believe Monkman targets this concept of “hope” in another form. 1 note
STANLEY LAI 