21 January - 27 March 2022
Exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers
Gallery 1
Mohammad Barrangui is the first In from the Margins resident artist at Edinburgh Printmakers. His solo exhibition Anything Is Possible follows on from a residency undertaken by the artist in autumn 2021, where walks around Edinburgh began to infuse his work with local creatures and monuments. The residency focused on the production of screen printed, sculptural and transfer works, working closely with EP Master Printer and artist Anupa Gardner. As well as incorporating small pieces and large scale murals for this exhibition, for the first time his fantastical characters have been brought to life as life size freestanding forms.
Mohammad Barrangi’s work organically combines influences spanning his childhood home in Iran, calligraphy, old scientific illustration, Persian miniature painting, Iranian mythological stories, social upheavals affecting contemporary society, his own disability and the faces of important female figures whom he admires. The artist largely works on the floor, using his arm and feet to work in a physical manner, feeding in from his environment.
“I always say I live in a wonderland where anything is possible. You do not need a passport to travel to my world. Everyone lives in a common world and a land. In my world, animals talk. Humans and animals have one nature – a combination of human and animal. And in my world, all heroes are women. I like to depict images of my mother, exiled Iranian queens or just friends who mean a lot to me. I will often combine them with animals or mythical creatures, as my work often focuses on journeys and travelling and immigration.”
Mohammad Barrangi
Mohammad Barrangi was born in Rasht, Iran, 1988. He is both an artist and medal winning international athlete with a disability in his left hand, though he believes it is by no means a stymying limitation. He uses his hand and leg to make his prints. After studying art he moved into book illustration graduating from the Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon in 2011, majoring in graphic design. He also holds a MA from the Royal Drawing School. He has since exhibited internationally, won numerous illustration awards and has recently had two works acquired by the British Museum. He now lives in the UK having left Iran some years ago.
