The Finalists Of The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2024 Are Here
Finalists of Loewe’s signature craft-focused award will have their works displayed at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris this May.
Now in its seventh year, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize is an initiative started by Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson to spotlight craftsmanship as it's practiced today by contemporary artists and practitioners of various mediums; it's not just about traditional craft but rather, marrying age-old techniques with innovation and artistic merit.
In a way, the Prize parallels what Anderson himself has been doing at Loewe since he took over the reins at the label in 2014: he constantly meshes the Spanish maison's artisanal know-how with increasingly playful ideas - see the surrealistic shoes and bags of recent seasons, as well as that sweater from Loewe's Spring Summer 2023 collection that resembled a computer graphic glitching.
The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize is open to anyone globally over 18 years of age working in a craft-based profession - with the sole requirement that the submitted work combine an innovative application of its craft with an original artistic concept.
It’s always a closely watched affair; the prize remains one of the most singular one of its kind with a 50,000 euro bounty and an all-star jury that comprises some of the biggest names across design, architecture, journalism, criticism, and museum curatorship - this year's 12-person panel includes Abraham Thomas, curator of Modern Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as celebrated ceramicist Magdalene Odundo.
Winner of last year Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, Eriko Inazaki (pictured in the middle), as well as Special Mention awardees Dominique Zinkpe (left) and Moe Watanabe (right). Inazaki scooped the top gong for her detailed ceramic sculpture, which was created by accumulating tiny forms that come together on the artwork's crystallized surface.
This year appears to be a bumper crop: there were over 3,900 submissions by artisans representing 124 countries and regions, and interestingly, many of the submissions reimagined found or recycled materials, focusing on the elevation and transformation of ordinary items such as rubber tires and compressed wood, both of which are not materials typically linked with traditional craftsmanship.
The Loewe Foundation has just announced 30 artists shortlisted as finalists, and their works will be exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in Paris from May 15 - June 9, with the winner to be revealed on May 14. Below, a closer look at all 30 finalists' creations:
Andres Anza, Mexico, 'I only know what I have seen', ceramics, 450 x 400 x 1500 mm, 2023
Miki Asai, Japan, ‘Still Life’, wood, paper, kashu, eggshell, seashell and mineral pigment, various dimensions, 2023
Patrick Bongoy, Democratic Republic of the Congo, ‘CY15’, recycled rubber, inner tubes, silicone, metal valves and wire, 1800 x 1750 x 100 mm, 2023
Emmanuel Boos, France, ‘Coffee table ‘Comme un lego’’, porcelain, tenmoku black and wood, 670 x 1760 x 380 mm, 2023
Chun Tai Chen, Taiwan Region, ‘In Simplicty’, paper, dye, glue, aluminium, stainless steel and brass, various dimensions, 2023
Eunmi Chun, Republic of Korea, ‘Wings of the Blue Bird’, cow’s small intestine, thread and ink, 320 x 610 x 35 mm, 2019
Ange Dakouo, Mali, ‘Harmony of Grigris’, cardboard, newspaper, cotton thread, acrylic and cowrie shell, 1630 x 1530 x 10 mm, 2023
Ken Eastman, United Kingdom, ‘Don’t get around much anymore’, stoneware clay, slips and oxides, 340 x 360 x 650 mm, 2023
Jeremy Frey, United States, ‘Symphony in Ash’, black ash, sweet grass and synthetic dye, 305 x 305 x 560 mm, 2022
Karl Fritsch, New Zealand, 'Pukana’, silver, gold and synthetic gemstones, various dimensions, 2020
Kevin Grey, United Kingdom, ‘Displaced’, 1.2 mm bronze Sheet, 520 x 520 x 170 mm, 2022
Raven Halfmoon, United States, ‘Weeping Willow Women’, ceramic and glaze, 1830 x 1170 x 1830 mm, 2022
Yuefeng He, Mainland China, ‘Bamboo Rock’, bamboo, lacquer, tile ash and linen, 1400 x 800 x 600 mm, 2020
Ferne Jacobs, United States, ‘Origins’, coiled and twined waxed linen thread, 445 x 1295 x 100 mm, 2018
Ferne Jacobs, United States, ‘Origins’, coiled and twined waxed linen thread, 445 x 1295 x 100 mm, 2018
Hiroshi Kaneyasu, Japan, ‘Unformed Outline’, urushi lacquer, plaster and hemp, 1020 x 970 x 80 mm, 2021
Heechan Kim, Republic of Korea, ‘#16’, ash wood and copper wire, 1067 x 813 x 813 mm, 2023
Kira Kim, Republic of Korea, ‘Standing House’, glass and steel, 387 x 140 x 240 mm, 2023
Alison Croney Moses, United States, ‘Holly Shell’, holly wood veneer and glue, 770 x 300 x 370 mm, 2023
Gaku Nakane, Japan, ‘Seed’, clay, 620 x 610 x 495 mm, 2023
Aya Oki, United States, ‘Bloom IX’, glass, 380 x 350 x 380 mm, 2023
Ozioma Onuzulike, Nigeria, ‘Embroidered Royal Jumper for Peter Obi’, clay, ash glaze, recycled glass, engobe and copper wire, 2240 x 2300 x 120 mm, 2023
Weon Rhee (Jongwon Lee), Republic of Korea, ‘Primitive Structures (Botanical)’, PSL Beam (recycled wood), pearl coloured pigment and
green pigment, 1370 x 790 x 440 mm, 2023
Ikuya Sagara, Japan, ‘Reminiscent Wind’, rice straw, Japanese pampas grass and wood, 855 x 450 x 60 mm, 2023
Luis Santos Montes, Spain, ‘Cristalizacion Organica Esmeralda’, paper, MTC and inks, variable dimensions, 2023
Saar Scheerlings, Netherlands, ‘Talisman Sculpture: The Column’, foam, old French linen, various yarns, oakwood and metal, 480 x 240 x 2450 mm, 2023
Polly Adams Sutton, United States, ‘Ebb Tide’, cedar bark, binder cane and magnet wire, 355 x 310 x 430 mm, 2023
Kazuhiro Toyama, Japan, ‘Biophilia: Celestial Shaped Vessel’, copper, 700 x 700 x 210 mm, 2023
Norman Weber, Germany, ‘Juwel’, plastic and acrylic paint, various dimensions, 2021-2022
Debaroun (Dahyeon Yoo), Republic of Korea, ‘Harmony’, vegetable tanned leather, 250 x 130 x 130 mm, 2023