His practice seeks a balance between raw and refined, driven by a keen interest in material and cultural context. Currently, he is exploring notions of weightlessness, impermanence, and the primordial.
Dan's work has been recognized by organizations such as USM Modular Furniture, DesignMiami, and the Royal Ontario Museum.
to inquire about purchasing a piece or collaborating on a project, please reach out to: DANIEL.Y.CUI@GMAIL.COM
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[2025]
cherry, concrete
Commissioned by artist/curator Jess Kasiama for her residency (@kimya_sound) at Whippersnapper Gallery.
The cherry tabletop takes its shape from double bells used by spiritual practitioners of historic Congo (kunda) . Two cast concrete forms uplift the wood surface, brutalist masses serving as delicate perches for the display of reading and listening materials.
curator: Jess Kasiama (@flisspo)
gallery: Whippersnapper Gallery (@whippersnappergallery)
studio: SHEEEP (@sheeep.studio)
woodwork assist: Em Tang (@emalllaa)
[2024]
1650 Dupont St, Toronto ON
Curation, exhibition design, and installation for PATINAPATINA Mag’s Issue 01 launch exhibit. For a week-long exhibit, we took over Cafeteria at 1650 Dupont, a site with a history tied to some of the city’s oldest cultural enclaves. Welcoming into the space a collection of works from artists of Toronto’s various diaspora, this exhibit brings together past and present in one place, for one moment.
Co-curated with Maham Momin, with support from the PATINAPATINA team (Ishmam Sarker + Asma Ansari).
[2024]
hardcover, exposed kettle stitch
PATINAPATINA Magazine’s inaugural issue brings together a roster of 14 local creatives, whose work engages with elements of tradition from their respective cultural backgrounds. Ranging from sculpture to photography to architecture, film, and dance -- these artists look to preserve and recontextualize the methods, stories, and customs of their ancestors. In a celebration of the past, we question the present, and consider our roles in crafting the future.
Co-curated with Maham Momin, edited by Dan Cui, designed by Maham Momin.
[2023]
steel rod, acrylic, rubber
Industrial materials come together with playful color and shapes to create an object that finds balance between serious and whimsical. The suspension of a cloudy acrylic tabletop gives a sense of weightlessness, subverting the mass of its solid steel construction. An experiment in equilibrium brought to life through unique form.
[2022]
25 Liberty St, Toronto ON
A curated space for the gathering of like-minded creative individuals. Unique furniture pieces, artwork from Toronto artists, and live performances tied together a relaxing and engaging environment for the community. Curated in collaboration with CAPSUL’s own Spooky Allyn.
[2022]
aluminum plate, red oak
An unconventional furniture piece intended to encourage a more purposeful relationship between owner and object. The aluminum plate acts like a ‘second skin’, creating new ways to engage with the table - framing objects below and casting delicate shadows (hence the name komorebi 木漏れ日, meaning ‘sunlight filtering through leaves).
[2021]
30 Wellington W, Toronto ON
The first iteration in a series of activations looking to provide guilt-free spaces for young creatives in Toronto to gather and participate in cultural exchange. A collaboration between SHEEEP Studio and New Currency, this takeover of Collision Gallery looked to bring a spark of creativity and community to the heart of Toronto’s Financial District.
[2021]
aluminum, corrugated PVC, bricks, moss, salt, algae
A sculptural work exploring the impact of human intervention on nature, as well as nature's resilience, through materiality and form. The piece is composed of man-made materials which are broken down by 'natural mediators' (moss, rust, algae). Over different scales of time — days, years, millennia, these materials are slowly degraded, their matter returned to the land.
[2019]
acrylic, hard maple
Recalling the glaciers of Northern Canada, this stationery holder is a reminder of nature’s beauty and the importance of its preservation. Modular and multifunctional, the fins emulate the melting of our glacial landscapes. ATHABASCA was recently displayed at the Royal Ontario Museum as part of their ‘Canadaian Modern’ exhibit.