Darren Appiagyei is a London-based woodturner and curator. Darren graduated from UAL Camberwell College of The Arts (2016), where he studied 3D design. Darren’s practice embraces the intrinsic beauty of the wood, be it a knot, crack, bark or grain. Darren has a passion for discovering and exploring new woods and is highly inspired by the raw quality of Ghanaian wood carving and its exploration of texture. The majority of woods Darren carves into are from trees which have naturally fallen in the woodlands in Shooter’s Hill, London.
Darren is an awardee of the Cockpit Arts/Turners Award (2017) in which he received a studio space, which he is currently based in. In 2019 he was selected for the Craft Council Hothouse Programme and 2021 he won the UAL grant award and he also took part in UAL accelerator program (2021).
Select group shows include New Ashgate Gallery Diaspora exhibition (2019); Cluster Craft Fair (2019); Belevere Gallery 12th Annual Graduate show (2019); New Designers (2018); Speaking to Trees, Ruup & Form Gallery as part of London Design Festival (2020), 300 Objects curated by the Wood Society of the Arts for London Craft Week; Growth Exhibition at Omved Garden curated by Thrown Contemporary (2021); Crafts Council Makers Eye (2021); solo show at Garden Museum for London Craft Week (2021); Homo Faber, Venice (2022)
Darren has also been featured in the Crafts Magazine (2018); Elle Design Netherlands (2020), Forbes online (2020), Homes & Gardens November edition (2020), Living etc UK (2020), Rakes Progress magazine (2021), Where the Leaves Fall magazine (2021), Design Miami (2021), Design Milk (2022) and Homes & Gardens April edition (2024).
