When I was in Calgary I went to Glenbow art museum, where I had an opportunity to see one of the most famous Canadian living artist, Kent Monkman. His “Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience” collection was displayed. This collection was created as a response to Canada 150 sesquicentennial celebrations. It is a story about the dark side of Canadian history. Kent Monkman’s gender bending, time travelling alter-ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is the guide on a journey through Canada’s history that starts in the present and takes us back to the years around Confederation. Miss Chief leads us through the harsh urban environment of Winnipeg’s north end and contemporary life on the reserve, and all the way back to the extermination of the bison.
Here are some pictures of his paintings from the collection..
I guess I didn’t think a lot about Canada’s history before, but this collection made me stop at every painting for several minutes at least! I don’t think I ever spent so much time reading and just looking at the paintings before.
After couple hours of looking at his collection, we finally moved to other rooms of museum where we found propeller airplane made of wood and leather. I never seen anything like that before, so I had to take a picture. This piece is a part of Native American history in Canada.
...and then we moved to Asian art, which was mostly about Buddhism.
Buddhism is one of those religions that I actually like. In fact I don’t even consider it as a religion, as some people might say - it is a way of living.
Palden Lhamo - is a protecting Dharmapala of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is the wrathful deity considered to be the principal protectress of Tibet.
...and here I am with Buddha Sculpture.
One of my favorite Buddha’s quotes is - “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
I guess it is something that really relates to my life. I try not to forget this quote because it helps me go forward.
Overall, it was an extremely pleasant experience in Calgary and at the Glenbow art museum. I hope you enjoyed my journey at this great museum :)
Pictures were taken with Samsung Galaxy s8.