Greenland by Tiina Itkonen

Les Pêcheries, Musée de Fécamp

7 October 2023 - 8 January 2024

 

It was in 1995 that the photographer set out to explore Greenland, and in particular the most northerly part of the territory. She returns there regularly, to the point where the region has become so familiar to her that she has now gathered material for several books and exhibitions. Very early on, she was captivated by the Inuit community, one of the few populations to live in the cold of this extreme north. The atmospheric conditions are severe, not to say hostile, requiring method and time to capture the images. The photographer combines an artistic approach that is both free and measured, with documentary concerns as a backdrop. Some of her work focuses on the activities of the region's inhabitants, such as hunting and fishing, and more generally on their way of life. But the exhibition also focuses on the particular nature of the region's landscapes, as well as on the layout of the habitat and urban environment - in other words, the expression of the human presence. However, behind the beauty of the sites, sublimated by the light and colour that Tiina Itkonen knows so well how to capture, lies a fragility: we can guess at the climate changes at work today. Inviting us to contemplate in this way implicitly invites us to reflect on the preservation of our priceless natural heritage. So this work has a message with many dimensions.

 

The exhibition brings together 37 photographs taken between 2002 and 2019, alternating landscapes and portraits, blending the imposing architecture of icebergs with modest dwellings in the middle of the snow. Most of the photographs are large-format prints. It is enriched by a tribute to the ethnologist Jean Malaurie, famous for his work on Greenland in the 1950s, whom Tiina Itkonen met in 2009.

 

A book published to coincide with the exhibition brings together various texts and interviews on the work of Tiina Itkonen, the historical links between the fishing port of Fécamp and Greenland, Nordic photographers and the Arctic, and a commentary by Jean Malaurie on the image of the Inuit.

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http://tiinaitkonen.com/

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