Breakthrough – 2025 Cohort

Rachel Gadsden stands painting in front of three large canvases, each of which have a human form urgently painted onto them.

Breakthrough 2025

A commission for disabled creatives or companies who are ready to break into the mainstream.

Breakthrough is about disabled artists succeeding in the mainstream. We’re looking for practicing creatives who’ve “done it all” in disability arts, who are mid-career and achieving success, and yet are still facing huge barriers to entering the mainstream. It’s about saying “we see your track record” and investing in you – to develop something tiny, perfect, and that truly showcases who you are and what you do. We want to support you in creating a calling card to mainstream recognition whatever that looks like for you.

2025 Breakthrough Artist


Mohammad Barrangi

Mohammad Barrangi was born in Rasht, Iran, in 1988. Now based in the UK, he is both a globally recognized artist and a medal-winning athlete who has represented Iran internationally in the 100m sprint. Born without full mobility in his left arm, Barrangi has developed a unique artistic practice that utilizes his right hand and both feet to create his distinctive works. Blending traditional calligraphy with experimental mark-making techniques, Barrangi combines elements of Persian calligraphy, storytelling, text, and touches of humor to create intimate works on handmade paper that are selectively expanded into large-scale murals.

Barrangi holds a degree in graphic design from the Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon and recently graduated from the Royal Drawing School in London. Barrangi has extensively exhibited his work around the world, winning numerous awards and recognition that has led to the prolific publication of his illustrations in a variety of books. His works have been acquired by the permanent collections of the British Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Royal Family Collection, the National Government Collection in the UK, the San Diego Museum of Art in the USA, the Cluj-Napoka Art Museum, Romania as well as Leeds Art Gallery, UK.


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