Arnfinn Johnsen is a photographer who does not ever seems to be done exploring opportunities within the photograhy. And since these opportunities are legio, there are little reason to believe that he ever will finish. But he is not the one that springs from form to form or technique to form and technique for technique's sake. The instrument and the material he chooses, he learns to master before presenting images to the public. An exhibition of Arnfinn Johnsen is always well planned, good craftmanship with a high academic level and is a delight to see.

So also the exhibition The ISOLY Project. Thoughtful, successful, in spite of the fact that the foundation was pure coincidence: Johnsen came across an old Agfa camera from the sixties called ISOLY. An ISOLY gives 16 exposures at 4x4 cm on a typical 120 roll film. It is a simple and cheap plastic camera with it's limited lense and shutter quality. Arnfinn Johnsen began to experiment with this camera, which turned out to provide images with an special atmosphere and a soft touch. Arnfinn Johnsens photos taken with the ISOLY camera has an unusual beauty.

The ISOLY exhibition is one of the most beautiful I've seen, and a totally different experience in an era where some think that entrails, scats and violence is an artistic challenge. I accept the artist's right to produce, and the public's "need" to experience these areas of life artistic process. This is just one of many reasons to spend some time with the aesthetic experience that most of us will appreciate, and certainly need.

The motifs of nature are elegant and romantic. Their historical parallels back to the last decade of the 19th century are obvious. Each of these photos is a unique piece of art. The collection of these unique photographs, is a beautiful and solid presentation that "encourages the soul to the orderly use of all its features, in particular the imagination".

I believe these final words are the words of Kant.
Leif Preus