KENT MONKMAN
Intermediary Study for I Come from pâkwan kîsik, the Hole in the Sky
Date: 2022
Dimensions: 72” x 54”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Condition: Overall very good
Provenance:
– Artist
– Trotta-Bono Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
Kent Monkman’s cosmic tableau centers on his alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, floating amidst a fiery sun, Earth and gentle pink clouds. A figure transforming into Wîsahkêcâhk, the trickster spirit and elder brother, rises toward her, while rainbow-hued pterodactyl-like elders hover overhead. This vibrant Renaissance-style scene reimagines Indigenous cosmology, queerness and cultural resilience – envisioning a universe where ancestral wisdom, humor, and transformation resist colonial erasure.
Drawing from Cree creation stories of pâkwan kîsik—“the hole in the sky,” a portal beyond time and space – the painting connects past, present, and future, weaving spiritual and earthly realms. Monkman challenges Eurocentric artistic conventions and asserts Indigenous sovereignty through a riot of color, myth and symbolism.
Kent Monkman (1965– ) is a renowned Cree artist known for his provocative and visually stunning works that challenge conventional narratives of colonialism, sexuality, gender, and Indigenous history. Born in St. Mary’s, Ontario, Monkman grew up in Winnipeg. He is a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Monkman’s unique multidisciplinary approach to art includes painting, performance, video, and installation, making him one of the most dynamic and influential Contemporary artists of Indigenous descent.
Kent Monkman’s work has been shown Internationally, with examples featured in major Institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, the Glenbow Museum and the Gardiner Museum. His work has become a vital part of many prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the Denver Art Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, among many other Institutions.
In 2019-2020, Monkman created a monumental diptych titled mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People), which was prominently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The two paintings, Welcoming the Newcomers and Resurgence of the People, explore the arrival of European settlers in North America and the resilience of Indigenous peoples in the face of colonization.
