Kent Monkman, a Cree artist, believes that museums inherently embody colonialism. In a bonus clip from “So Surreal: Behind the Masks,” he expresses that Indigenous people do not typically collect and display artifacts in the same manner as colonial European cultures. Monkman points out that while it may not be possible to completely decolonize museums due to their inherent colonial nature, it is essential to change the narrative surrounding the items they house.
In 2019, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York unveiled two of Monkman’s paintings in its Great Hall. The museum had commissioned him to create these artworks as part of an initiative to invite artists to intervene in its collection. Monkman highlights that the Met’s collection includes romanticized depictions of Indigenous individuals, such as Eugène Delacroix’s “The Natchez,” which perpetuates the myth of Indigenous peoples as a dying race.
According to Monkman, such representations reinforce the notion that Indigenous people only existed in the past and are not relevant in contemporary or future contexts. In response, his murals at the Met aimed to celebrate the resilience and vitality of Indigenous communities.
Despite the slow pace of change in museums, Monkman acknowledges progress, noting an increase in the hiring of Indigenous curators and his own involvement on museum boards over the past two decades. These developments mark significant steps towards enabling Indigenous perspectives to be more accurately represented in museum narratives.
Monkman’s insights shed light on the ongoing efforts to challenge and reshape the portrayal of Indigenous cultures in museum settings. The documentary “So Surreal: Behind the Masks” delves into the journey of Indigenous masks from British Columbia and Alaska to the hands of European Surrealists, offering a deeper exploration of cultural exchange and representation.