Eskapism

Johanna Åkeby (b. 1998, Halmstad, Sweden) is an artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Art has been a constant presence in Åkeby’s life since early childhood. After years of creative practice, she temporarily set art aside to pursue academic studies and work as a women’s rights activist. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Gothenburg. Rather than following a conventional career path, Åkeby chose to merge her academic background with her artistic practice, using art as a means of engaging with and challenging societal structures. Guided by the belief that all art is inherently political, she relocated to southern France to study at École de Mont Cotton, where she fully committed to her artistic development. Åkeby’s practice is rooted in her work as a women’s rights activist. She approaches art as a tool for both societal and internal transformation, exploring the consequences of systemic failures to uphold women’s rights and how these experiences shape and distort the inner world. Her work frequently incorporates water as a visual and symbolic element, expressing fluidity, duality, and emotional depth.