Map of Sweden

The painting screams with the word “Lagom”, which means the optimal balance when translated from Swedish. Lagom is the Swedish philosophy of life which revolves around the balance of work and leisure, private and public life, benefit and pleasure. The Swedish way of living Lagom lies at the base of national prosperity. The main feature of the Swedish mentality is being content with necessities without overloading life with unnecessary details, which is reflected through the main style of this painting: the word is simply written in Falun red (the colour got its name from the copper mine located in the city of Falun in central Sweden, the use of this color is a reference to the Swedish modest workaholism), the Fehu rune denoting well-being and prosperity (a reference to the roots of the Swedes) and three blue rectangles in the form of three Swedish crowns on the coat of arms, against a shaded background (a reference to the Swedish imperial past).

The inscription denoting the area of the drawn country, presented in every painting from the concept “Maps of the Happiest Countries” serves as a sort of a signature. It is specifically done to raise this question: How important is the element of territory in the 21st century? The area of Sweden is 528.447 square meters.

Through this work, the author emphasizes the importance of living in balance in the modern world.