Photographer Tiina Itkonen (b. 1968) has been photographing Arctic regions such as Greenland—its nature and people—for nearly 30 years. The exhibition presents images from across Itkonen’s long career. Over the decades, the subjects of her photographs have grown from children into adults, while the impacts of climate change have profoundly affected the livelihoods and way of life of the Inughuit* people of Northwest Greenland whom Itkonen has photographed.

In the small villages of Northwest Greenland, the hunting of seals, walruses, and other Arctic animals remains part of everyday life, and these animals are the primary source of food for many households. The Inughuit have sought to preserve their traditional way of life whenever possible: in winter, hunting takes place on sea ice with dog sled teams, and in summer, narwhals are hunted from kayaks using harpoons. In recent years, hunting on the ice has become more dangerous. The ice is weaker, and hunters encounter more open water. They can no longer reach areas where they previously hunted on sea ice. It is possible that this ancient traditional way of life may disappear forever.

Working in extreme conditions, Itkonen has travelled more than 1,500 kilometres along Greenland’s west coast by dog sled, fishing boats, sailing vessels, oil tankers, cargo ships, and helicopters, spending extended periods in small villages getting to know local people. Itkonen notes that she spends 10 percent of her time photographing and 90 percent getting to know people. Language skills and time spent with the community have opened doors for the photographer and helped build mutual trust.

At the same time, Itkonen acknowledges her role as an outsider to the community. In Greenland she is always a qallunaaq—a foreigner and an outsider. A photograph is always the photographer’s own perspective and observation of reality. The exhibition seeks to provoke discussion about the role of an outsider photographer when depicting a minority community, while also reflecting on the photographer’s ability to communicate, through their work, the impacts of climate change on people’s lives.

*The Inughuit are the northernmost Inuit group.