"I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eaters, who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower. (...) When they had eaten and drunk I chose two of my company to go see what manner of men the people of the place might be, and they had a third man under them. They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no harm, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their nostos..."
- Markus Åkesson
Homer's tale, in which Ulysses and his companions find themselves bewitched by magical flowers, has long inspired artists and thinkers. Today, the expression “eating lotus,” when used figuratively, evokes memory loss. But beyond the myth, this passage raises a profoundly human dilemma: faced with the possibility of escaping the sufferings of existence, who would choose to return and face life's vicissitudes? Who, inversely, would be tempted by the sweetness of amnesia, accepting to renounce the world to which they belong?
In echo of this quest for escape, Markus Åkesson has entitled his new exhibition The Land of the Lotus-Eaters. This theme, which he has been exploring persistently for several years, takes shape in his series Now You See Me, where figures, camouflaged by repetitive fabric patterns, are transformed into enigmatic figures, veiling their intentions and thoughts. In this way, the Swedish painter creates a silent space, imbued with mystery, where the boundary between the tangible and the imaginary becomes blurred. This artistic approach, which places him in a long tradition of exploring inner worlds and dreams, has its roots in his youth: contemplating the patterns on the wallpapers in his bedroom, he imagined secret messages and hidden stories, as if these patterns were already opening a door to another world.
At Da-End gallery, Åkesson's work unfolds with hypnotic intensity. In this in-between world, some figures seem to be orchestrating mystical rituals in symbiosis with a nature that is both bewitching and disquieting, while others appear to be floating in parallel dimensions. Lush vines, evocative peonies, and Danse Macabre embellish these canvases, sometimes drawing on ancient myths, each telling an enigmatic story. “In a misty undergrowth, a woman appears, hiding a bouquet of flowers behind her back. Motionless, her gaze lost in the void, she leaves us in a doubtful state: are these flowers a treasure to be preserved or a danger to be avoided”?
Thus, in an enveloping silence, The Land of the Lotus-Eaters plunges us into the gloom of unknown universes, where every motif reveals fragments of alternative realities, as every figure confronts us with our own unconscious.
At the heart of this realm of dreams, the boundary between oblivion and remembrance gradually disappears, lleading to the emergence of a nagging question: to what extent can the appeasement offered by the imaginary fill the gaping abyss left by what has disappeared forever?