On your next visit to the Belgo, make sure you drop by Pierre-François Ouellet Art Contemporain to see Kent Monkman‘s show The Atelier. Monkman turned part of the gallery space into a 19th Century artist’s studio, complete with a divan, vintage wall-paper, and artist’s materials. During last Saturday’s vernissage there was even a (very gorgeous) male model posing behind the easel.

On display are Monkman’s studies in acrylic as well as a series of aquatints, which at first glance appear to be romantic vistas of the American West in the tradition of George Catlin and Albert Bierstadt. But upon closer inspection you’ll notice that the paintings have been invaded by contemporary icons such as luxury cars, and that the image of the “native” has been sexualized, practically turning him into a pin-up.

Even more poignant is the video playing in the back of the gallery. Featuring Monkman’s alter-ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, it resembles an Ibiza-style Euro-pop music video. Miss Chief, dressed in a disco-version of traditional native dress, seductively sways on screen, with intermittent montages of German “Sauerkraut Westerns” based on the Winnetou series of German author Karl May.

Monkman exposes historical inaccuracies and romantic stereotypes with panache and subversive humor, elegantly challenging our ideas about the First Nations. A must-see show.

Pierre-François Ouellet Art Contemporain, space 216
Kent Monkman
The Atelier
May 14 – June 25, 2011
www.pfoac.com