Tofino, c’est bien plus que l’image que la plupart des gens en connaissent.

Un récent article paru dans The Globe and Mail met en lumière le travail de Melissa Renwick, finalists de l’exposition du Salt Spring National Art Prize 2025/26 et récipiendaire d’une bourse de l’Initiative Trebek. Par ses photographies et ses textes, Melissa explore une facette plus discrète et moins connue de la communauté.

Réalisé avec le soutien de l’Initiative Trebek, Searching for the Real Tofino  s’intéresse aux personnes, aux lieux et au sentiment d’appartenance qui façonnent la ville au-delà de son image bien connue. Ce projet a permis à Melissa de documenter Tofino au fil des saisons et de passer du temps avec les personnes qu’elle a photographiées.

Dans notre série de questions-réponses, Melissa revient également sur le projet, le soutien de l’Initiative Trebek et son expérience en tant que finaliste de SSNAP.
 
Remarque: Les réponses de Melissa dans la section questions-réponses ont été conservées en anglais afin de préserver sa voix et le sens original de ses propos.

Qu’est-ce qui vous a d’abord inspirée à entreprendre Searching for the Real Tofino?

When I moved to Tofino in 2017, I was interested in documenting the town’s transformation from a resource extraction economy to tourism. It became my entryway into the community and allowed me to connect with people I might not have otherwise met. At the time, I was photographing the series on medium format black-and-white film. I had moved from Toronto and needed to slow down in life and in my photographic practice.

About a year in, I decided to set the project aside. I needed more time to become part of the community, rather than simply observe it. The series also called for colour photography. Tofino is so rich in colour, even in its muted, foggy palettes. I picked it up again in 2023 with a new approach that felt more aligned with the person and photographer I had become after living in Tofino for six years.

Tofino possède une image publique très reconnaissable. Qu’espériez-vous révéler de la communauté que les visiteurs — ou même les résidents — pourraient autrement ne pas remarquer?

Tofino is such a turbulent place. Living here exposes you to extreme weather patterns and systems, especially in the winter. The Pacific Ocean is its own kind of chaos, and we’re impacted by its energy in big and small ways every day. While Tofino is known for its iconic, golden sunsets, I’m more interested in the moody side of this place, and the hearty community of people who stay year-round through the long, dark winter months. Through my photography, I hoped to reveal this quieter side of Tofino that isn’t always pictured.

Comment le soutien de l’Initiative Trebek a-t-il façonné le projet et vous a-t-il permis de l’aborder différemment?

The Trebek Initiative is an incredible funding body dedicated towards helping storytellers, conservationists and researchers create projects aimed to preserve Canadian and Indigenous land, wildlife, water, culture and history.

Without their support, I would not have been able to dedicate the time needed to tell this story with the depth and richness it deserved. It afforded me the freedom to document Tofino across different seasons and spend quality time with those I photographed.

Vous avez été finaliste de l’exposition SSNAP 2025/26. Qu’est-ce que votre participation à SSNAP a représenté pour vous et votre pratique artistique?

I stumbled upon the SNNAP exhibit at Mahon Hall in 2021 while I was visiting Salt Spring Island for the first time on a camping trip. The beauty of SNNAP is that it offers a platform for Canadian artists to come together, share their work and gain exposure in an unlikely place. Without prior context, I had no idea how alive the art community on Salt Spring is.

Being a part of SSNAP’s 2025/26 exhibition opened me to that community that I’m so grateful to be a part of. It also served as a critical reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this space and pushed me to think about my work within a bigger, more diverse artistic landscape.

 

All Photographs Melissa Renwick