“My name is Miss Chief Eagle Testickle and I come from the stars” – Miss Chief Eagle Testickle
In the chaotic patchwork of the contemporary art scene, between installations, PVC, naive drawings, ceramics and deco revival, Kent Monkman’s work reminds us of art with a capital A – with a twist.
From September 27, 2025 to March 8, 2026, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is devoting a solo exhibition to the artist. The exhibition features 40 monumental paintings by Monkman – a rare and impressive show that we recommend for its themes, its beauty and because Kent Monkman is probably the most important artist of his generation.
Kent Monkman, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle and history
When 19th-century pre-Raphaelite painters began imitating the hyper-dramatic works of the Renaissance by adding fairies, characters from romantic poems, legends and lots of pop culture, it sent shockwaves through the art world. The modernization of medieval morality was repainted with the sensuality of the time.
Kent Monkman, on the other hand, imitates and subverts historical and war painting to deconstruct the colonial discourses they depict. He draws on works from what the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris called “historical painting” in the 17th century. These are large-format paintings with historical, mythological or religious subjects.
Kent Monkman is a member of the Ocêkwi Sîpiy, Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba’s Treaty 5 territory. Through his works and his alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, he reinterprets colonial history from an aboriginal perspective with humor and poetry.
We see Miss Chief Eagle Testickle in high heels (Louboutin, often) as Miss America, an archangelic presence in an aboriginal women’s prison, a painter in front of a classical landscape, bringing children back to their families after they have been forcibly brought to aboriginal residential schools.
Contemporary and romantic
The Musée des Beaux-Arts refers to his work as “visual reappropriation”, and the what if of Kent Monkman’s almost mythological scenes is as pleasurable as it is heartbreaking.
In addition to the American and Canadian colonial past, Monkman also explores more contemporary themes – such as deforestation, land abuse and aboriginal activism. He dedicates a series of works to protectors, activists and recent events.
The romanticism of his painting style elevates aboriginal struggles, which are rarely represented in the media other than for their most violent and dramatic moments, to the rank of sacred battles.
The richness of this retrospective, the monumental (and emotional) scale of Kent Monkman’s works, and the importance of (re)seeing the colonial history that has shaped the United States and Canada of today from an aboriginal perspective, alone, are enough for us to warmly recommend this exhibition.
Practical info
Where? at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1380 Sherbrooke Street West
When? September 27, 2025 to March 8, 2026, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How much? $31 for those aged 26 and over, $15.50 on Wednesday evenings, free for those aged 25 and under, members of aboriginal communities and people with disabilities and their companions.
Enjoy the show!