About Nikolaj Jesper Cyon

I am a Swedish visual artist and researcher whose practice navigates the intersections of cartography, geopolitics, and historical reimagination. My work is rooted in a deep curiosity about how we define land, identity, and sovereignty—and how those definitions have been shaped by power structures throughout history.

Artistic Research & Decolonisation

My most recognised work, the Alkebu-lan series, began in 2011 as an artistic inquiry into African history. By reimagining the continent without the straight lines of the 1884 Berlin Conference, I seek to visualise a counter-factual history where indigenous sovereignty remained intact. This project has grown from a single map into a monumental research undertaking, currently focused on a 1:1,000,000 scale map (1300 AH) documenting thousands of cities and hundreds of pre-colonial nations.

Materials and Process: From Oil Painting to Urban Farming

My practice is multidisciplinary and "hands-on." I move between large-scale oil paintings that capture the psychological landscapes of the nuclear age and ceramic sculptures that explore social bonds and land rights. My work often extends beyond the studio into practical experiments with urban farming and ecological systems—ranging from the Dein Erdanteil project at Tempelhof in Berlin to growing tomatoes as an integral part of my degree exhibition.

Through model-building—as seen in projects like Okinotorishima and Dein Erdanteil—and techniques such as watercolour and Chinese ink, I materialise complex systemic structures. This breadth also encompasses game design and illustration; I have illustrated children’s books and designed board games such as Chroma Mix and ORP.

International Reach and Public Art

My work has been exhibited internationally, notably as part of the acclaimed "Making Africa" exhibition hosted by institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Kunsthal Rotterdam, and the Blanton Museum of Art. In Sweden, I am deeply engaged in public art and have completed several major commissions, including the Akalla mural—a community-focused reimagination of Caspar David Friedrich’s Romanticism.

I believe that art has the power to provide new lenses through which we can view our past and, consequently, reimagine our collective future.

Artist CV here.