Study for "The Examination"
2008
Brown pencil, watercolour and gouache on acid-free paper
Size: 22.5 × 30 in (57.1 × 76.2 cm)
signed and dated in pencil lower right
Provenance:
Stephen Friedman Gallery, London
Price: 32000$
"The Examination" is a prominent work by Cree interdisciplinary artist Kent Monkman (b. 1965).
Key Details of the Work
Subject Matter: Set inside an Indigenous earthen lodge, the painting depicts a group of a dozen settler males—including physicians, scientists, and priests—jostling and staring in a mix of shock, bewilderment, and fascination during an invasive examination of the private anatomy of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Monkman's genderfluid, time-traveling alter ego.
Narrative & Subversion: Miss Chief boldly parts her thighs and revels in the theatrical melodrama, while one of her warrior lovers bursts into the scene to protect her from what is portrayed as a non-consensual act.
Historical Context: The piece critiques 19th-century colonial and academic figures (such as William Alexander Hammond, Stephen Powers, and A.B. Holder) who infamously subjected non-binary and Two-Spirit Indigenous people to anatomical and anthropological inspections to police and pathologize their identities.
Mediums & Versions: Monkman has created multiple iterations of the concept, including a 2008 watercolor and gouache study, a preparatory drawing, and a major acrylic-on-canvas version (84 × 114 in., completed around 2021) as well as a compositional study housed in the Gochman Collection (60 × 81.5 in., 2021).
Kent Monkman is a Canadian Cree contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice explores colonialism, Indigenous identity, sexuality and the representation of history. A member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba, Monkman is renowned for challenging traditional Western art history, particularly its portrayal of Indigenous peoples. His paintings, drawings, installations and performances frequently combine historical references with contemporary perspectives, questioning established narratives of power and cultural identity. His gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, appears throughout his work as a means of reversing the colonial gaze.
Study for The Examination (2008) is a preparatory drawing for the painting of the same title, it demonstrates Monkman’s sill in conceiving the careful development of complex figurative compositions. The work invites reflection on the act of scrutiny itself: who is observed, judged and granted authority. Through its preparatory format, the drawing offers insight into Monkman’s working process, revealing how carefully constructed imagery can challenge conventional perspectives on history and representation.
Monkman’s use of traditional European artistic techniques is central to his practice, allowing him to appropriate established visual conventions while challenging the historical assumptions they embody. His work questions who has the authority to represent the past and whose experiences have been marginalised. Through this combination of technical precision and critical engagement, Monkman creates imagery that confronts colonial histories while asserting the continuing presence, resilience and cultural significance of Indigenous peoples.
