Frederick Worrell
Contemporary Māori Artist | Aotearoa New Zealand · United Kingdom
Frederick Worrell is an award-winning contemporary Māori artist and designer from Aotearoa New Zealand, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Working across painting, sculpture, reflective surfaces and light-based installations, his practice explores cultural identity, ancestral connection, perception and the relationship between art, people and space.
With a background in architectural and interior design, Frederick brings a distinctive spatial perspective to his artistic practice. His work considers how an artwork occupies and interacts with its surroundings, and how light, movement and reflection can alter the experience of a space.
Central to his practice is his exploration of Māori identity and whakapapa. Born in Whakatāne in the Bay of Plenty, Frederick's experience of living abroad has deepened his connection to his heritage and informed an evolving body of work concerned with identity, belonging and the relationship between past, present and future.
His distinctive convex mirror artworks combine intricate kōwhaiwhai patterns, imagery drawn from the natural world and vibrant colour with the properties of curved reflective surfaces. As natural or artificial light interacts with the work, colour and reflected imagery extend beyond the physical artwork, transforming the surrounding environment. The viewer becomes part of an experience that changes according to perspective, movement and light.
Frederick's commissioned projects include three large-scale convex mirror artworks for the New Zealand High Commission in London, demonstrating the potential of his practice within diplomatic and institutional environments. In 2023, he created The Brass Eagle Takes Flight, a site-responsive light-based installation for Newcastle Cathedral's Light at the End of the Tunnel exhibition.
His collaborative practice has also included architectural design work for Wharenui Harikoa, the internationally exhibited project by Māori artists Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole, for which he contributed to the development of the structure designed to accommodate their extraordinary crocheted architectural artwork.
Frederick was selected to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the 19th Asian Art Biennale in Bangladesh in 2022. His work has received recognition including the 2021 Joan Kinder Salver Award for Innovation, awarded by the Croydon Art Society.
In 2026, Frederick received a £12,500 Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant for Scaling Reflection: Research and Development of Reflective Light Systems. Building on his participation in Lightlab, the project investigates the possibilities of immersive reflective environments through experimentation with light, projection, materials, perception and movement. It represents an important development in the scale and ambition of his practice, extending his exploration of reflection into larger, spatially responsive installations.
His recent exhibition activity includes Homegrown, presented by NZ Art Club in partnership with ZURU at Ten Four in London in 2026, bringing together artists from Aotearoa New Zealand working in the United Kingdom.
Frederick continues to develop original artworks and site-responsive commissions for private collectors, architects, interior designers, cultural institutions and commercial environments. His practice brings together artistic expression, cultural identity and an understanding of the built environment, with an increasing focus on works that engage audiences through light, reflection and spatial experience.
For artwork acquisitions, private commissions, exhibitions or institutional collaborations, please get in touch to discuss your project.
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