sisyphus garden

102x102cm / 40×40” acrylic on wood panel, 2026

In the myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus angers Zeus & cheats death several times, earning himself an eternal & particularly poignant punishment in the underworld to endlessly roll a huge boulder up a steep hill. As summarized on wiki, “The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus himself. Hades accordingly displayed his own cleverness by enchanting the boulder into rolling away from Sisyphus before he reached the top which ended up consigning Sisyphus to an eternity of useless efforts and unending frustration.”

In this interpretation of the tale, what if sisyphus is not one entity, but rather it is a special garden in hell where we all get our own boulder to play with till times end?

pmd 2026