Simon Stalenhag - Sweden
Simon Stalenhag is an artist, musician, and designer specialising in futuristic digital paintings focused on stereotypical Swedish countryside environments.
The settings of his artwork have formed the basis for a range of art books and a tabletop game.
Simon Stalenhag (b. 1984) is the internationally acclaimed author, concept designer and artist behind Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood.
His highly imaginative images and stories depicting illusive sci fi phenomena in mundane, hyper realistic Scandinavian and American landscapes have made Stalenhag one of the most sought after visual storytellers in the world.
Tales from the Loop was ranked one of the 10 Best Dystopias by The Guardian, along with such works as Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca.
Stalenhag grew up in an rural environment near Stockholm, making illustrations of the local landscape inspired by artists such as Lars Jonsson.
He only attempted science fiction artwork after discovering concept artists like Ralph McQuarrie and Syd Mead; initially this body of work was done as a side-project, without any planning behind it. Thematically, his work often combines his childhood with themes from sci-fi movies, resulting in a stereotypical Swedish landscape with a neofuturistic bent.
According to Stålenhag, this focus originates from his perceived lack of connection with adulthood, with the science fiction elements being added in partly to draw audience attention and partly to influence the work's mood.
These ideas result in a body of work that can feature giant robots and megastructures alongside regular Swedish items like Volvo cars.