Kent Monkman's First Public Sculpture, The Colony, Brings Giant Beavers to Toronto's Waterfront

Key facts

• Kent Monkman's The Colony (2026) is his first public sculpture, installed on Toronto's Port Lands waterfront as part of the Lassonde Art Trail.
• The bronze and steel work resembles a condominium with four-foot-tall beavers engaged in activities like dancing, reading, playing drums, and stargazing.
• The sculpture is around 12 feet tall and was created with local foundry MST Bronze.
• Monkman drew inspiration from an 18th-century engraving by Veremondo Rossi depicting beavers in an apartment-like structure pursued by Indigenous hunters.
• The Lassonde Art Trail was funded by a C$25m ($18m) donation from philanthropist Pierre Lassonde, part of a C$1.4bn ($1bn) revitalisation of the Port Lands area.
• The revitalisation included creating a new island in Biidaasige Park and rerouting the mouth of the Don River.
• The trail features 17 inaugural pieces, mostly temporary, with permanent commissions by Monkman and Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.
• Monkman hopes the work encourages reflection on species kinship and Indigenous storytelling, with humour as a key element of his practice.