Arctic Passage

Arctic Passage draws from a multi-year project (2015—2018) by Canadian American photojournalist, Louie Palu, and provides a look at the evolving militarization in the North American Arctic driven by imagined threats from nations with competing economic interests in the region. One of the earliest moments of modern military activity in the Arctic was in the 1950s when the United States and Canada built a series of radar stations: the Distant Early Warning Line, designed to detect any missiles or bombers that may fly over the area.

Now, over 30 years after the end of the Cold War, debates have emerged over more efficient shipping routes, opportunities for resource extraction, and the future of the Arctic related to climate change. Since 2007, Canada, Finland, Greenland (via Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United States, and China have been increasing their logistical and military capabilities to ensure access to the region and assert sovereignty in what may be called “The New Cold War.”

The Arctic is now at an unprecedented moment in history. Political tensions that once ran East-West now include military and political control aiming north. Currently, there is no active combat in the Arctic, but Indigenous peoples in the region are slowly coming face to face with this increased geo-political activity and tourism.  Members of Inuit communities are sharing their knowledge with soldiers learning how to survive in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth, where their biggest adversary is the frigid winter temperature.

“For me, the Arctic is about the unknown, about our imagination. It is often seen through a map, cliché images of ice and animals, outdated stereotypes of indigenous peoples and scientific statistics. It can also be a blank slate for invented narratives to suit fantasies of what people want the Arctic to be. I would like to challenge such perceptions and prompt a shift in consciousness, producing work to make us ask questions about a critically important part of our planet that will reshape not only our environment but also our ideas and strategies of security for the context of global warming.”  — Louie Palu

Palu’s work was supported by funding from the John Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, National Geographic Magazine, and Pulitzer Center.

About the Artist 

Louie Palu (b. 1968, Canada) is a photographer and filmmaker whose work has examined social political issues, such as human rights and conflict for over 30 years. He is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, Milton Rogovin at the Center Creative Photography Fellow, and a Harry Ransom Center Research Fellow. He has been awarded the Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Portraiture, and most recently, Palu won the 2022 World Press Photo contest for his series Political Year Zero. His work has appeared in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, and many others. His photographs are held in numerous collections including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and National Gallery of Art (Washington DC).

About the Curator

Emily Hauver is Curator of Exhibitions in the Library Gallery at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She holds a MS in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Several of Hauver’s curatorial projects have been situated at the intersection of contemporary photography and important social issues of the day.