Darren Appiagyei

Darren Appiagyei’s work is inspired by a deep love and fascination with wood in its rawest form. The artist notes: “with every vessel I make, it’s about embracing the intrinsic beauty of the wood; be it a crack, texture, knots or lack of symmetry. As a wood turner it’s about allowing the wood to speak for itself and enabling the inner beauty of the wood to shine. From the little details we grow accustomed to, such as the bark on a tree and the grain detailing through each piece of timber, the key is remaining open to such intrinsic, yet defining, elements.”

Drawing on his own heritage, the artist takes inspiration from traditional Ghanaian wood carving techniques and the textural beauty they reveal.

For Darren, it is essential to comprehend the origin of the material and recognize its natural essence. He is fascinated by the transformation of the material being honed into a functional design, encouraging him to constantly explore new techniques and to experiment with varying wood densities and grains.

Appiagyei’s Banksia (Australian wildflower) vessels are an exploration of the 3 different layers of the material; the first layer being the crispy texture, the second layer being the velvet almost felt texture and finally the third layer which has a wood texture and is the core of the material.

Darren Appiagyei was born in 1993 and lives and works in London. He received the Turner Prize awarded by Tate Britain in 2017. Appiagyei’s work is exhibited in Collect Art Fair in London and London Craft Week. His work was featured in numerous publications such as the FT Weekend, Design Milk, The Guardian, and others.