St. Sebastian 2017

Kent Monkman’s “St. Sebastian” evokes a scene laden with symbols of martyrdom and cultural collision. Here, we find a figure reminiscent of Saint Sebastian, pierced with arrows, a martyr whose image has long symbolized resilience. Consider the arrows, not merely instruments of physical torment, but emblems of a deeper cultural wounding, echoing through history from antiquity to Christian iconography. Saint Sebastian, often depicted bound and pierced, embodies suffering and endurance, a motif that finds resonance in the depiction of Indigenous figures who carry the weight of colonial violence. The act of binding, a motif recurring across epochs, signifies not just physical restraint but the suppression of cultural identity. These images tap into a collective memory, where pain and perseverance intertwine. In Monkman’s work, the agony of Saint Sebastian intertwines with the pain of Indigenous peoples, reminding us that history is not linear, but a spiral, forever turning and returning.