Jørgen Platou Willumsen

WHEN I STARTED WALKING

3rd of April – 11th of May

WHEN I STARTED WALKING is Jørgen Platou Willumsen’s seventh solo exhibition at Galleri A. The journey to this exhibition has literally been long, and on a personal level, it means even more.

“It wasn’t until we moved out of the city with two small children, a third on the way, and the opportunity to build my own studio in the garden that I realized something had to change. The move took a toll on me physically and mentally, and for a period of eight months, the paintbrush and camera were replaced with a paint roller and hammer. When the new normal returned, much had changed. The world longed to return to how it was before COVID, but only a few months passed before Russia attacked Ukraine, interest rates rose, and an energy crisis knocked on the door. It felt like I had to start over. The confidence I once felt was replaced by doubt, and just as the world was turned upside down, the once carefree future suddenly seemed more uncertain.

This entire project started with my desire to get closer to what truly matters in my life. For ten years, I worked in a studio that was as inspiring as a dentist’s waiting room—exploring themes revolving around humanity’s relationship with nature, despite not actually spending much time in nature as part of my daily life. Like a patient soldier, I sat in my studio, longing for fresh air. From a ‘dentist’s waiting room’ at Carl Berner to my own studio in the garden, I set out to shape a new daily life.

I started walking. With a camera around my neck, searching for new subjects, I gradually realized that the patient soldier guarding that waiting room-like space at Carl Berner was slipping through my fingers. The meaning of my work suddenly became something greater, and nature, which has been my most important source of energy since childhood, had now become part of my workday. Through this process, I understood something crucial. One, spending countless hours in the studio is not synonymous with quality. Two, I could now integrate nature into my daily life. The magic of searching for subjects and being present when small moments unfold. Walking became therapy, it became the way back, and it has been—and remains—an extremely important factor in my sense of presence.

The paintings that have emerged from this process are more detailed than before. The contrast between being present in nature’s rapid changes and the slow, meticulous process of capturing everything on canvas allows me to reflect on moments and slow down in a life filled with noisy impulses. Nature gives me strength, but so does time in the studio. The interplay between spontaneity and quickness, and the painstaking work required to bring it all together. These same contrasts are also present in how I construct an image. The backgrounds are shaped by a mix of controlled and uncontrolled processes, while the subjects are direct and precise. For the first time in a very long time, I find it difficult to let go of these paintings.

The world will never be as it was. And even though I wish the horizon looked calmer, at the very least, this exhibition is a reminder of how important it is to stay connected to nature and remain observant of the small wonders that unfold every day. Because just that alone can bring us peace and much-needed pauses in an otherwise turbulent time.”

Jørgen Platou Willumsen
Oslo, March 2025

The subjects are drawn from Krokskogen, Vestmarka, Kolsåstoppen, Sætremarka, Hosle, Bunnefjorden, Sandefjord, Konglungen, Holmsbu, Larvik, and Sweden—Tanumshede