Amaury Darras

Born in 1997 in Saint-Jean-de-Braye, Amaury Darras lives and works in Paris, France.

His journey began in 2015 when he validated his vocational training certificate in fine woodworking (CAP) in Orléans.He continued his studies at École Boulle between 2015 and 2017, graduating with a Brevet des Arts et Métiers,specialized in fine woodworking. Amaury Darras is a wood artist whose work combines traditional artisanal craftsmanship with contemporary sculptural finesse. Inspired by the natural grain and texture of wood, he transforms raw wood into refined pieces. He is the winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the Accessories category at the 40th edition of the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories in Hyères.

To fuel his practice, several research and creation residency programs have placed their trust in him, such as the Réserves des Arts Sud and the Cité radieuse in Marseille. His work has also expanded internationally when the French Institute in Denmark enabled him to meet several contemporary art figures in Copenhagen. Furthermore, his young career as a woodworker is already recognized by several institutions. For instance, he won the Heritage & Culture Grant from the Maison Mode Méditerranée endowment fund in 2024, which allowed him to participate in the Marseille international contemporary art fair Art-o-rama that same year. Additionally, he was awarded the Grand Jury Accessories Prize at the 40th International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories in Hyères, and exhibited his Essences collection at the Villa Noailles in 2025. Given his multidisciplinary practice, the artist manages to diversify his appearances by integrating the worlds of design and haute couture. A wooden dress he crafted was exhibited during Paris Fashion Week for Zomer's Spring/Summer 2024 collection in 2023. This same dress was later worn by Björk during one of her European tour concerts in Leipzig. Finally, the artist will continue his research beyond European borders during a research and creation residency in Japan, between Tokyo and the Hakone region, during which he will discover new marquetry techniques, the progression of which will fuel the artistic discourse he wishes to explore, bridging plastic sculpture, design, fashion, and traditional woodworking.

Wood is at the core of his practice, allowing him to intersect the traditional know-how of fine woodworking with contemporary textile design. His multidisciplinary approach blurs the boundaries between classical medium categories.Whether sculptural garments or wearable sculptures, these objects become true bodily architectures, carriers of multiple narratives. His Essences collection explores different types of wood through several pieces transformed into accessories.This body of work relies on a dual semantics, evoking both the literal essence of the woods and the spiritual essence that animates the object. This second reading accompanies Amaury's approach as he activates the history of ancient wood species, perpetuating the memory of these ancestral tales. His works manage to transcend eras, invoking a science-fictional mythology, like the manifesto of a futuristic civilization deeply connected to nature and organic matter.