Kent Monkman in studio (photo by Samuel Engelking)
Cree artist Kent Monkman, known for his provocative paintings about the woes colonial history has inflicted on Indigenous peoples, has apologized for a painting that shows a bare-buttocked man with a striking resemblance to Justin Trudeau.
Some have interpreted the painting, Hanky Panky, posted Saturday on Monkman's social media feed, as depicting a sexual assault staged before an audience of laughing Indigenous women.
The image provoked debate and condemnation from those who saw violence in what Monkman had described as consensual, and it was also called out as disrespectful to women and Indigenous people.
On Monday, Monkman posted an online apology.
“As a cis-gendered Two-Spirit Cree man, I have always wished to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of non-binary, trans, Two-Spirit and women viewers,” he wrote. “I see that with this work, I have failed. I wish for my work to resist the colonial traumas inflicted upon my own family and so many others for generations, not to perpetuate harm.”
Monkman's highly sexualized work has been displayed around the world, including at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Source: CBC, Globe and Mail