The Mystical Creatures of Eden (Hippo)

Location

Country: Holy See
City: Vatican City
Place: British Embassy

This work is part of the series 'The Mystical Creatures of Eden', and combines Persian calligraphy and motifs with scenes of nature from Mohammad Barrangi’s birthplace, Iran. Significant female figures from his life and animals are reimagined for the other-worldly landscapes he creates. Barrangi’s visual language moves across time and place and is a direct response to his experience of the world. He has developed a particular form of printmaking in a two-stage process that involves drawing and printing onto handmade paper. The first stage is using an Iranian calligraphy method to make the initial drawing. He then scans, collages, and prints the drawings. They are then transferred using cellulose thinners onto a new sheet of paper, which has been prepared with Iranian wood stain.

Mohammad Barrangi was born in Iran. He majored in graphic design at the Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon, after which he moved into book illustration and printmaking. Barrangi moved to the UK and graduated with an MA at the Royal Drawing School in 2019. His work combines elements of calligraphy, storytelling and text often with elements of humour. Born without the use of his left arm, Barrangi has developed a unique process of making large murals, as well as smaller works on paper. He has works in the collections of the British Museum, Leeds Art Gallery, and the San Diego Museum of Art. Recent exhibitions include: Lighthouse, The Stanley and Audrey Gallery, University of Leeds (2024); Playing in Wonderland, The Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester (2023) Dreamland, The Art House, Wakefield; 'Anything Is Possible’, Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh (both 2022) and 'The Conference of the Birds', Advocartsy, Los Angeles (2020-21).

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

paper (as artists material), print (as object name)

Artist

Mohammad Barrangi (1988 - )

Title

The Mystical Creatures of Eden (Hippo)

Date

2021

Medium

solvent transfer on paper

Dimensions

height: 36.0 cm; width: 48.0 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from International Curator's Forum (ICE), March 2022

Provenance

The artist, via International Curators Forum (ICE); from whom purchased by UK Government Art Collection, 31 March 2022

GAC number

19076