Rising Star

‘Phoenix’, by Farshad Farzankia and Brdr Krüger

- TF Chan

Farshad Farzankia’s studio in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev is a glorious riot of colour, a welcome respite from the grey wintry skies on the day of our visit. Brightly-hued canvases in varying stages of completion lean against the walls and on each other, brushes, pastels, pencils and the occasional potted plant clutter every table and crate, while the concrete floor is a Pollockesque splatter. The space is compact but pulsates with a raw energy, as befitting one of the brightest talents to have burst onto the Scandinavian art scene in recent years.

For this year’s Wallpaper* Handmade, the Tehran-born painter – known for narrative compositions that often deal with cultural identity and exchange – is moving away from his favoured medium, and teaming up with Brdr Krüger, a fifth-generation joinery workshop in nearby Værløse. Farzankia and the workshop’s creative director, Jonas Krüger, are longtime friends. They recently worked together on a sculptural installation for last year’s Chart Art Fair, Be running up that hill, I’d make a deal with God, which showed a flock of birds perched atop towers of crates. Their new collaboration, however, will be the first not to involve a single drop of paint.