Certificate of Mischief Nation 2013

Editor: Right, let's talk about Kent Monkman’s "Certificate of Mischief Nation" from 2013. It looks like a mixed-media collage featuring official-looking documents: a citizenship certificate and some rather intriguing five-dollar bills. There's something unsettling, yet playful, about turning these symbols of authority and value on their head. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: "Unsettling, yet playful"— I adore that description, it tickles just the right spot. It's precisely that tension that sings to me. For me, it’s like seeing history rewritten with a wink. He takes the visual language of power— certificates, currency— and mischievously re-imagines them. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, who gets to define citizenship, what really has value, and whose stories get told? Are we in on the joke, or are we the joke? Editor: So, it’s more than just a visual prank then? Curator: Oh, my dear, absolutely! The “Mischief Nation” isn’t just a whimsical invention, it’s a clever disruption. Look at how he’s appropriated the visual tropes of officialdom – the fonts, the seals – but subverted them with Indigenous imagery and a dash of humor. Do you think there is something rebellious in it? Editor: Definitely, a subversive quality, and the layering of imagery creates such depth... it speaks volumes about reclaiming identity. I appreciate that it isn’t a purely angry work. It invites a critical eye, even as it entertains. Curator: Exactly! Mischief can be a potent form of resistance, and a fabulous way to make us question what we accept as ‘normal’. Editor: I see the wheels turning in my mind; it's given me a lot to chew on! Thanks for your perspective, it really shifted my initial reading.