Cree artist's painting of partially nude Trudeau with laughing women criticized

#Manitoba; #Painting; #JustinTrudeauPartiallyNude; #FirstNationsTraditions; #MMIWG; #HankyPanky

Manitoba, May 21 (Canadian-Media):  A new painting titled Hanky Panky by renowned Cree artist Kent Monkman depicting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau partially nude on all fours, surrounded by laughing Indigenous women, has been condemned for its portrayal of sexual violence and disrespect for the First Nations traditions, media reports said.

Kent Monkman Studio. Image credit: Facebook Page

Also shows in the painting is a Mountie lying on the ground with his pants down and Canada's former prime ministers in the crowd, watching.​

Monkman, from the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba and living in Toronto is known around the world for creating highly sexualized, provocative work.

He said the main aim of his posting the painting on Facebook on Saturday was to highlight problems of Indigenous women who experience violence and sexual assault at rates higher than other women in Canada due to the Canadian injustice system and did not know it would provoke a backlash.

Image of the red hand, which to many in the Indigenous community is a symbol meant to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) is seen by many as an insult.

Sinclair, an Independent Manitoba senator, praised the work in a Facebook post, saying that by reversing the roles of victim and victimizer, 

"Monkman has managed to get people worked up over the obscenity of the content, in startling contrast to the intellectual calmness with which people look upon how Indigenous women were treated...He's talented. He's brilliant. He cares. Do you?"said Sinclair.

Monkman says he deeply regrets any harm caused and also referring to the okihcitâwiskwêwak in a context that could be interpreted in a disrespectful way.

​The Prime Minister's Office did not comment on Monkman's painting.