It always felt natural to mix them together.
It’s like I wanted to do two projects - one science fiction and one landscape - but I didn’t have time, so I had to combine them. I had landscape and wildlife interests, and then rediscovered all these science fiction classics of the 80s, of my childhood, when I was in my early 20s. And then I started working in the video game industry and I learned to draw all these the robot and monsters and science fiction themed stuff, and it just kind of bubbled out while I was doing the landscape. I always wanted to paint things that I see in my everyday life. I drew birds and Swedish wildlife when I was a kid. I started with landscape and wildlife art. When did you decide to place robots and spaceships into images of rolling hills? Although, I am also very inspired by science fiction.
I’m more inspired by landscape artists and wildlife art than science fiction art. I try to approach scenes as if they’re real, as if I’m actually seeing these things. Simon Stålenhag: My art is basically science-fiction-themed landscape painting. But, for people who aren’t familiar, how would you describe the scenes you create? With Amazon purchasing rights to Tales from the Loop, knowledge of your work has gone more mainstream. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. We spoke to Stålenhag about his inspiration for the book, his creative process, and whether he considers The Electric State a cautionary tale. Set in the 90s, the story mixes one-part nostalgia with one-part sci-fi into a captivating cocktail. Along their journey they encounter colossal warships that loom over the horizon like metal mountains and dead VR addicts still plugged into their headsets. The narrative artbook follows the journey of a young traveler, Michelle, and her robot, Skip, as they head west to the Pacific coast through an alternative America torn apart by civil war and the trappings of military-grade virtual reality. In September, Stålenhag’s most recent work, The Electric State (2017), was released in the United States.
In July, it was announced that Amazon Studios would adapt his breakout artbook, Tales from the Loop (2015), into a television series. It’s been a big year for Stålenhag, a Swedish digital artist who’s gained something of a cult (and Kickstarter) following for his evocative depictions of rural and suburban landscapes mixed with eerie science fiction elements. The focal point isn’t the devastated ducks but the gentle embrace of the human and her robot. As with a lot of Stålenhag’s work, it’s a haunting image that carries an air of tranquility. One of the duck’s heads is blasted straight through. It’s a familiar scene from my 90’s childhood - except the girl is holding hands with a bobble-headed robot and staring up at four animatronic ducks riddled with bullet holes from some recent wargame. A young woman in white sweatpants, a hooded leather jacket, and red backpack stands on a nearby hill. A boxy blue car, like the old Volvo my dad used to drive, sits parked in a desolate lot in one of Simon Stålenhag’s dystopian illustrations.
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