A featured visual art exhibition of contemporary circumpolar photography at the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit, Land of None | Land of Us challenges the idea of an “unoccupied” or “vast, empty” Arctic by sharing images of Indigenous connections to land, knowledges, practices, relationships and kinships around the circumpolar world. Land of None | Land of Us is curated by Jennifer Bowen, Alice Marie Jektevik, Melissa Shaginoff and Jessica Winters, and mentored by Pat Kane and Dr. Heather Igloliorte. The exhibition was also featured in Toronto, ON, in fall 2022 during the CONTACT Photography Festival and Nuit Blanche. Hear from three photographers on their thoughts capturing the images included in the exhibition.

Meeka Steen Harvesting Beluga under the midnight sun (2021) Photograph© THE ARTIST

Meeka Steen Tuktuyaaqtuuq, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT

“Harvesting our country foods has sustained us for generations. My thoughts when I was capturing this photo was how fortunate and blessed we are to be able to continue our cultural traditions, to carry on the knowledge that has been passed on for many generations! Muktuk is a delicacy for the Inuvialuit. Mamaqtuq! (Taste good!)”

Golga Oscar Self-Identity in Today’s Society (2019) Photograph© THE ARTIST

Golga Ocar Southwest Alaska

“This photo is a self-representation of how I define myself in this modern era. I’m still in the process of regaining my Native identity through my research of archived ancestral knowledge. Within my research, I am also exploring the different art formats that my people created hundreds of years ago.” 

Ørjan Marakatt Bertelsen Portrait of Inger Ellen Baal (2021) Photograph© THE ARTIST

Ørjan Marakatt Bertelsen Sápmi, Norway

“[This] is a portrait taken on the mountain in Kåfjord, during filming the documentary film Inger Ellen Baal ‘Eallin.’ It is also the cover picture to the film. The picture [was] taken in her small cabinet, the only remaining asset after the power development in the area that led to her family losing the right to practice reindeer herding in the area, Goulaš, back in the ’70s.”

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Read more about Land of None | Land of Us on the Arctic Arts Summit Digital Platform