PHOENIX was a collaboration between Farshad Farzankia and Brdr. Krüger for Wallpaper* Handmade in Milan 2019. The Tehran-born painter – known for colorful narrative and symbolic compositions that often deal with cultural identity and exchange – moved away from his favoured medium to make a piece that didn’t involve a single drop of paint.

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.