Darcell Apelu (b. 1990 Niue, Pākehā & Te Atiawa) graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (2011) and a Masters in Art and Design (2013) from Auckland University of Technology. Since 2014, she has taught at Toi Ohomai / Te Pūkenga in Poike on the Bachelor of Creative Industries.
Apelu’s practice investigates social and cultural ideologies within Aotearoa with reference to themes of legacy and embedded ancestry.
In 2019, Apelu was the inaugural recipient of the Te Tuhi/Yorkshire Sculpture Park Residency in the UK and, in 2017, the recipient of the BC Collective Lafaiki residency in Niue.
Notable exhibitions include Carry Me With You 2023-current, at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Death of Prosperity 2020-2022, at Te Tuhi Arts Centre and Tauranga Art Gallery, and Ocean Memories at the Kunsthalle Fauste, Germany.