April Key is a British artist and sculptor whose work bridges tradition and innovation through light and structure.
Born in 1991, she grew up between Scarborough and Cyprus, later studying Interior Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art. An exchange year at Istanbul Teknik University in 2012 drew her deeply into the city’s culture, where she eventually lived for more than a decade. During her time in Istanbul, she worked in architecture while steadily developing her sculptural language.
In 2018, her discovery of a small neon workshop sparked a lasting fascination with neon glass, a material that became central to her practice.
Collaborating with local craftsmen, she created works that merged history, memory, and contemporary form. Her art often transforms old Kodachrome film imagery into dynamic 3D sculptures, reimagining fragments of personal and collective pasts. After returning to Yorkshire in 2023, she completed large-scale public works, including a permanent installation for Leeds Corn Exchange. That same year, she received an Arts Council England award, recognizing her expanding practice.
Today, April continues to explore the intersections of technology, storytelling, and sculpture, often pairing physical works with digital animations to push the boundaries of contemporary installation.