KJETIL KARLSEN is a photographer, artist, and writer from Beisfjord, Nordland, Norway. He works with both 120- and 35-mm analog photography as well as digital, using dozens of cameras, depending on what he wants to convey, always with natural light, and using what he calls ‘physical filters’. These filters can be anything, he says, different types of fabrics, feathers, glass, transparent plastic, dry grass, plants, etc. Additionally, he shoots using long exposure with movement.
His art attempts to encapsulate ideas that are universal and that apply to all of humanity, whether they are pleasant or not. kjetil lives in the northern region of Norway, surrounded by nature, which can be as temperamental as the human soul, with its rhythms, sounds, smells, textures, and feelings. For instance, he says, “Spring awakens as if by an inner roar, transforming a cold and white world in a sensuous and quiet crescendo, affecting every surface exposed to a sun that does descend below the horizon. Summer turns into autumn, quieting everything, as if going to sleep, and now and then covers the earth with a white blanket that sterilizes everything. Then, darkness, again, reigns for 24 hours every day”. He is inspired, he says, “by our emotions, our vulnerability, the people I meet, the nature encircles me, the sensuality of music, literature, and art.”
Though he is interested in sharing his work, he works for himself and his own eyes, he states. Yet, he has received many invitations to exhibit his art, for example the following, to name a few:
- Mystikk - Galleri Nord (Norway)
- Vandring - Museum Nord (Norway)
- I mellom.. - Galleri My (Norway)
- Tire la chevillette, la bobinette cherra - Galerie Hors-Champ (Paris-France)
- Un Secret - Galerie Horst-Champs (Paris-France)
- Tiden det tar - Gallery TIME (Norway)
- Tiden det tar - Gallery My (Norway)
More of his work may be found on his website and his IG account