Kent Monkman: Revision and Resistance

Kent Monkman is one of the most exceptional contemporary artists working in Canada. In December 2019, the Cree artist unveiled a monumental diptych mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People) at the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Underline worked with Art Canada Institute to design Revision and Resistance, a book that celebrates the commission and creation of mistikôsiwak. The book’s cover uses a cutout that parallels the layered references in the paintings: in one of the paintings, Monkman re-imagines the iconic 1851 oil painting Washington Crossing the Delaware with Indigenous people steering the vessel—notably with Monkman’s gender-fluid alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle in Washington’s place. Images of the 11 x 22 ft paintings are showcased by gatefolds, while indices that give background to the artwork’s many references are provided by tip-ins.

Client: Art Canada Institute