The multi-disciplinary Cree artist Kent Monkman is well represented in the Xwi7xwa collection with the entirety of his video work: a collection of short films that span the past two decades and multiple film genres. Highlights of the video collection include Monkman’s debut, “A Nation is Coming,” and “A Taxonomy of the European Male,” which features his alter-ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testicles, as she travels Europe, interrogating the representation of Indigenous societies in classical European art. Monkman’s newest film, “Casualties of Modernity,” continues this examination of the art world, playfully looking at the history of modern art in the 20th century. Several films, such as “Seance” and Iskootao, document live performances pieces featuring Miss Chief Eagle Testicles.
Beyond his video work, the book “Two-Spirit Acts” collects the text of three of his performance pieces, along with work by other prominent Two-Spirit writers. The library also has examples of Monkman’s visual art through the exhibition catalogue “Kent Monkman: the Rise and Fall of Civilization.” Monkman’s talents extend to the realm of children’s literature with his bright illustrations of “A Coyote Columbus Story,” written by Thomas King.
Monkman’s exhibit, “Shame and Prejudice: A story of resilience,” was recently mounted at the University of Toronto as part of the 150 anniversary of Canada’s confederation projects. The exhibit will be touring over the next few years and is expected to come to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC in 2020.