Farshad Farzankia (b. 1980, Tehran, Iran) received a Bachelor degree in Visual Communication in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is currently living there. A self-taught artist, Farzankia is preparing for his latest show at Gallery 68Projects in Berlin from November 10th, 2017 to January 13th 2018. Photo credit to Lasse Bech Martinussen.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
I would say, Bob Dylan or Abbas Kiarostami. Let’s just go with Kiarostami. Well, I Always wanted to make movies, so I’m very into the world of cinema. And Kiarostami’s movies I would have to say changed my life, or definitely the way that I see the world. It was like he gave me a pair of glasses that I keep wearing, and my every view of life changed. Sounds like a cliche, but it’s very true. And also he’s helping me to find the pieces of my Iranian origin that I lost on my way to Denmark.
Advice to your 15-year-old self?
Trust your self. Choose. Only do what you feel is right, and keep doing it. Work hard.
Why did you choose to be an artist?
It came very naturally. I started painting, and spend a lot of time on it, just like as if it was a full-time job, you know. And painting has been very good for me.
Are there certain artists, styles or movements you’ve drawn inspiration from?
A lot. A lot of people I look at every day. Someone like Asger Jorn. He’s a great inspiration and I consider him as a true friend of mine. He’s like the King of Denmark. And Bjørn Nørgaard, of course. I like Madness you know. These guys are mad. Rain Werner Fassbinder, He’s mad too. A lot of people I draw in my work. Gunnar Ekelöf, I really dig his work. He’s family.
Can you talk about technique? What do you want your viewers to take away from your work?
I don’t really think about the viewer when I paint. I try to do what I have to do. And I don’t even make it for myself. It’s more like tabbing into something which has to get expressed in somehow. And it could be anything, music, poetry, carpentry or what have you. It just happens that I paint. It’s all just a wonderful coincidence.
What was the last exhibit you went to that really stuck with you and why?
J. F. Willumsen. Great to see one of my Hero’s Willimsens pieces mixed up with temporary stuff from The Brask Collection.
How would you describe the word ” ART “, What does it mean to you?
For me, it’s really just about work. I like to wake up and get something done. And that’s what I do. I don’t really think about art when I work, and I would like to keep it that way.
I pretty much like art in museums and I dig a lot of artists and really enjoy their work. You know, it’s all about life and doing what you enjoy in your lifetime.