Meet Swedish Artist Markus Åkesson, a Favorite Collaborator of Undercover’s Jun Takahashi 

The pandemic has, to varying degrees, transformed us into undercover agents. On Zoom we exist blurrily from the shoulders up; on the street our smiles and faces are hidden by masks. All of this has diminished the social aspect of fashion and hampered its expressiveness. Or has it? The figures in the Swedish painter Markus Åkesson’s series “Now You See Me,” currently on view at Berg Gallery in Stockholm, are shrouded by exquisite textiles, and yet they are in a way portraits of presence. Though hidden, the subject animates the canvas, and seems to inhabit a middle realm between person and object.

When Åkesson paints children, as he often does, they similarly inhabit another, transient world in which nature intersects with becomingness. One of these works of art, The Woods, hangs in Jun Takahashi’s office. Twice the Undercover designer has collaborated with the painter: First for the fall 2014 womenswear collection; and just weeks ago for his fall 2021 menswear collection. “Reproducing the satin quilted garment used to partially obscure the human subject in Åkesson’s 2015 work The Mask (Girl With Veil), then styling looks that featured the painting with the garment depicted in it multiplied the visible surfaces to create depth and provoke questions,” wrote our reviewer, Luke Leitch.

Here we pitch a few queries the artist’s way.

Vogue: How did you come to be a painter?

Markus Åkesson: I grew up in a working-class family in the countryside of southeast Sweden. I had little to no experience of the art world as a child and a teenager, but I loved to draw and spent most of my days doing so. I was trained as a welder, but never really felt at home in that sort of occupation. In my 20s, however, I rather accidentally got a job as a glass engraver. I was able to work with something creative for the first time in my life, and I loved it. But after a while I felt the urge to express myself through art and started to paint. I took some art classes during that time, but I don’t really have a traditional art education. I now live and work in Nybro, a small town, not far from where I grew up. I have my atelier in an old Glass Factory called Pukeberg.

When did you first establish contact with Jun Takahashi?

We first met 2013 in Paris, at Galerie Da-End, where I had my solo exhibition “The Woods.” As we talked, I think we both felt there was a connection between our work. I think we both in some way strive to reach into other worlds, trying to catch a glimpse of the intangible. He ended up buying a painting of mine, which I believe he has had in his Tokyo studio since then. The following year, he reached out and asked if he could use two of my images for the Undercover fall collection of 2014. He printed them onto gigantic scarfs; they were more like capes. They showed at Palais de Tokyo in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.

How does it feel to see your work translated into garments?

It feels great. Jun is such a great artist. I feel that he can really interpret my work and compose it together with his, creating something new and brilliant. It’s not an easy thing to do. I doubt that I would have let anyone else have that kind of creative freedom with my images.

Do you wear the pieces?

Oh, yes, of course.

What roles do fabric and fashion play in your work?

I used to think that art and fashion were two separate things, but soon I came to understand that they are both part of a larger context. I work a lot with fabrics in my paintings. In my atelier, I also design my own patterned fabrics that are sewn into clothes and creations for my models to wear as I paint them.

Is it accurate to say that many of the works currently on view are faceless portraits?

Yes. For the last three years, I have worked with this series of paintings, that I call “Now You See Me,” which is also the title of my exhibition in Stockholm. At first, I bought fabrics and clothes that inspired me, but eventually I started to design patterns myself. This way, I am able to use my personal iconography within the fabrics and create a more compelling narrative. I am interested in old tales and symbols as well as designs and iconic images from art history. I am fascinated with secrets. The model is veiled, wrapped in many layers of patterns, like hidden meanings in old stories.

What words would you use to describe your paintings?

Maybe something like magic realism, neo-figurative, and symbolism.

Do you think there is anything particularly Swedish about your work?

That’s difficult for me to see as I’m very close to my own work. Maybe it’s obvious for others. Sometimes people mention the forest, or the idea of the forest, which has been a recurring theme for me. I have always been surrounded by deep forests and of course that has affected me and is a great source of inspiration.

What’s next for you?

Next up is a duo exhibition together with my wife, the sculptor Ellen Ehk. It will take place at the Vida Museum in Sweden this summer.