“In the quiet morning” (2020), oil on canvas, 145 x 100 centimeters

Swedish artist Markus Åkesson enshrouds his subjects in elaborately patterned silks and satins, leaving only the impression of their faces, limbs, and torsos visible. An extension of his ongoing Now You See Me series, the artist’s latest paintings continue his exploration of repetition and the unsettling feelings evoked by being wrapped in fabric. By completely covering his models, they “became a secret. Instead, I started to tell a story within the pattern itself, like a sub-narrative in the painting,” he writes.

“The Grove” (2020), oil on canvas, 180 x 140 centimeters. All images © Markus Åkesson,

Åkesson’s pieces begin with designing the traditional, florid motifs that are printed onto the largely unshaped fabrics.[…]

“Now you see me (Blue and Gold Kimono)” (2019), oil on canvas, 180 x 140 centimeters

Continue reading: Ornate Fabrics Cloak Models in Disquieting Portraits by Artist Markus Åkesson