Feminist Art
By Monica Brinkman

Monica Brinkman is a Hamilton-based artist who paints the part of her story that came after “I’m not doing this anymore.” Her textured, symbolic paintings reflect the moments she thought she carried alone: the shame-filled quiet undoing, the very slow returning, and the unsteady rise back into who she really is.

Born and raised in Sarnia, a small town in Ontario, Monica grew up without the constant hum of the internet or a smartphone. Creativity became her natural outlet, and her mother made sure it stayed that way. As the youngest of three with two older brothers, Monica was quietly handed what she now recognizes as feminist tools long before she had a word for them: have your own money, do what you love instead of what you’re told, and you’re allowed to say no.

Her mother and Nana, who moved in when Monica was six, also shared unfiltered stories about the way male co-workers, bosses, and strangers had treated them: near-abductions, violence at work, and everyday violations that still exist for women today. They did their best to prepare her, but Monica, like so many women, still encountered her own versions of those stories through co-workers, strangers, and partners.