THE LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2026 CELEBRATES THE EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFT

Images courtesy of LOEWE FOUNDATION

On view at National Gallery Singapore from 13 May to 14 June 2026

The 2026 edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2026 once again places contemporary craftsmanship at the forefront of global cultural discourse, honouring artists whose works challenge material boundaries while preserving the spirit of traditional making. This year’s top honour was awarded to Korean artist Jongjin Park for Strata of Illusion (2025), a sculptural porcelain work that captivated the jury with its poetic balance between control, collapse, and transformation.

LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2026 WINNER – JONGJIN PARK AND ARTPIECE

Constructed from thousands of layered sheets of paper coated in coloured porcelain slip, Park’s monumental seat-like form undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis during firing, as the paper burns away and the structure subtly slumps under heat and gravity. The result is a work that blurs the lines between ceramics, sculpture, and experimental craft.

LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2026 SPECIAL MENTION – GRAZIANO VISINTIN AND ARTPIECE

Selected from 30 finalists by a distinguished jury including architect Frida Escobedo, designer Patricia Urquiola, and LOEWE creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Park received the €50,000 prize for redefining the expressive possibilities of porcelain through process-led experimentation.

LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2026 SPECIAL MENTION – MARY ANABA AND ALVARO CATALAN DE OCON AND ARTPIECE

Two special mentions further reflected the award’s commitment to innovation rooted in cultural heritage. Ghana’s Baba Tree Master Weavers collaborated with Spanish designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón on Frafra Tapestry (2024), a large-scale woven work inspired by aerial views of traditional Gurunsi villages in Ghana. Combining ancestral basketry techniques with architectural mapping, the tapestry becomes both a contemporary artwork and a living record of endangered communal traditions.

Presented by Magran Living

Meanwhile, Italian goldsmith Graziano Visintin was recognised for Collier (2025), a pair of necklaces crafted from delicate gold cubes decorated using niello, an ancient metalworking technique. The jury praised the meticulous craftsmanship and painterly surfaces that transformed historical jewellery-making into a distinctly modern expression.

Jury

This year’s shortlisted works collectively explored themes of tension, instability, and transformation across disciplines including ceramics, textiles, woodwork, jewellery, glass, and lacquer. Through weaving, layering, bending, and carving, the exhibition examined craft as an evolving language shaped by both continuity and disruption.

All 30 shortlisted works are currently on view at National Gallery Singapore from 13 May to 14 June 2026, offering visitors an immersive look into the future of contemporary craft. Selected from more than 5,100 submissions spanning 133 countries and regions, the finalists reflect the increasingly global and interdisciplinary nature of artisanal practice today.

Founded in 2016 as a tribute to LOEWE’s origins as a collective craft workshop established in 1846, the annual prize continues to champion artistic excellence and material innovation while reinforcing craft’s enduring relevance within contemporary culture.