38 Moody Sci‑Fi Landscapes by Simon Stålenhag That Feel Like Nostalgia You Forgot You Had

John Summers • Contributor

Jul 25, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

I didn't know much about Simon Stålenhag until now beyond hearing he wrote The Electric State - which, yeah, got adapted into a really underwhelming Russo brothers movie. What I discovered, though, is something way cooler: Simon's a Swedish artist born in 1984, famous for painting eerily nostalgic landscapes where giant robots, broken drones, and megastructures blend seamlessly into everyday rural life.

He started posting these digital paintings in the mid‑2000s just as a side project. But his unique mix of pastoral calm and retro‑futuristic weirdness became a viral sensation, leading to books like Tales from the Loop (which became its own Amazon series) and The Electric State.

Each of these 38 pieces feels like scanning your childhood memories and accidentally tapping into a dystopian sci‑fi movie - like if your grandpa's Volvo had laser cannons hidden inside. They've got the vibe of Swedish countryside midday but something is off—robots abandoned in fields, kids walking under collapsed drones, particle‑collider towers looming over petrol stations.

So buckle up. These 38 artworks are equal parts serene and unsettling - and perfect for anyone who loves nostalgia, sci‑fi, and that eerie feeling of something familiar… just not quite right.