Kent Monkman debuts beaver sculpture in Toronto’s ambitious new waterfront park

TORONTO — Kent Monkman’s first-ever public art installation is dam good. The celebrated Cree artist’s new permanent sculpture, dubbed “The Colony,” debuts Wednesday in Toronto’s east end.

The 15-foot-high bronze structure features beavers dancing, feasting and celebrating, evoking Indigenous ceremonies.

It highlights the vital role of beavers in the natural, Indigenous and colonial histories of Turtle Island, says a release.

The public artwork is located in Toronto’s Biidsaasige Park along the Lassonde Art Trail, an ambitious open-air museum.

Monkman says its site, where the Don River meets Lake Ontario, is especially meaningful, as it’s been an important waterway for several First Nations for thousands of years.

“I can’t think of a better place for these beavers, inspired by the fanciful beavers of Veremondo Rossi’s 18th-century engraving, to gather in a ceremonial feast, celebrating our world views, honouring the water, and continuing our traditions of relaying knowledge through songs and stories,” he said in a statement.

A member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Monkman is an interdisciplinary artist lauded for using classical painting, film and performance to challenge and rewrite colonial histories in Western art.

His artworks are held in the permanent collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.