An artist from Huddersfield has just been lauded as one of the world’s finest.

Ian Berry, who creates stunning  works under the name Denimu, has been listed as one of the  world’s most influential artists.

The accolade has come from the  US magazine Art Business News which has provided comprehensive coverage of the art business for more than three decades.

Art Business News is also aligned with some of the world’s most important art events –  including Artexpo New York, the  world’s largest fine art trade show, and Art Expo Miami –  connecting  with an additional 50,000 art  industry insiders each year.

Artist Ian Berry
Artist Ian Berry

They have included Ian as one of the world’s leading artists under the age of 30.

His work using denim as a main material is gaining attention worldwide.

The man himself was both stunned and delighted.

Ian, 29, was back in Huddersfield briefly this week from his home in Sweden, for his grandmother’s 90th birthday.

And he was surprised at the  award coming from the other side of the Atlantic.

Not that he’s a stranger to the  States. He is a regular visitor and  has had work exhibited in several  exhibitions there.

“I was quite shocked. It had  been a bad day and I was a bit  down when I got the call to say I  was in the listings.

“It was a shock but I am delighted. It is justification for a  lot of the hard work I have been  doing.

“The listing is not something  that you enter or prepare special  works for but obviously someone  has seen my work in the States and  decided it merited attention.

Ian Berry picture
Ian Berry picture

“I have been very busy over the  last few months and I totted up the  other day when I came back to  Huddersfield and realised I had  taken 19 flights so far this year and  not one of them was a holiday.

“I have a big exhibition coming  up in London later this year and I need to have between 20 and 30 pieces of work ready for that.

“I have been doing so much travelling over the last few weeks that I haven’t been able to complete a piece for the last five weeks  so I will have to knuckle down.

“It’s hard to say how long each  piece takes: sometimes I end up working 14 to 16 hours a day if it’s going well.

“I have a lot of work also going  into a gallery in Copenhagen and I hope the London show is  something that can be repeated in  a couple of years.

“I have shown during Basel week in Miami, at the Shooting  Gallery in San Francisco and at  the ArtMrkt Art Fair also in San  Francisco.

“Next week  some of the work will show at Art Hamptons in the US. I also showed in Portugal and Copenhagen but the big one will  be London in November at the  Catto Gallery again.

“I was disappointed Town were not away in London that week!

Ian  has been based in Sweden for the past few years but remains a dedicated Huddersfield Town fan.

The Netherton-born artist first  had the idea to make his collections out of denim while clearing  out his old room at the Huddersfield home of parents, Christine and Eddie.

He went to Newsome High  School and Greenhead College and spent two years at Huddersfield University before transferring to Buckinghamshire to study  advertising.

He worked in advertising until the call came from mum Christine to clear out his old room – and it’s  there he discovered piles of old  jeans which have now become his  signature.

Denimu takes a fabric most  commonly worn as jeans or a jacket, and makes works of art with it – he sometimes cuts up his own jeans to add to his stunning creations.

People who view his work are amazed that such images are created from pieces of discarded denim.