This Singaporean Bookbinder Is A Finalist At The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026

Many fashion houses talk of craft, but it’s Loewe that consistently goes the distance. The Spanish maison’s signature award, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize — launched in 2016 as a nod to its origins as a collective workshop in 1846 — is now in its ninth edition, continuing to spotlight artisans who stretch traditional disciplines into something distinctly contemporary.

It’s always a closely watched affair. This year, over 5,100 submissions from 133 countries and regions have been narrowed down to just 30 finalists representing 19 countries, working across ceramics, woodwork, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewellery and lacquer. Many of the shortlisted works explore tension and balance: clean geometries subtly warped, calm surfaces disrupted, and natural processes like growth and decay embedded into the act of making.

Scanning the list of finalists this year, we came upon a familiar name: bookbinder Adelene Koh, making her only the second Singaporean ever to get to the finals of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize (the first being artist Ashley Yeo in 2018).

“I’m incredibly honoured and excited to share that I have been named a finalist for this year’s Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. I’m looking forward to meeting the other finalists and seeing their amazing works this May when I head back to Singapore for the opening ceremony of the exhibition,” said Koh in an Instagram post.

The jury list this year is pretty starry. It features Loewe’s new creative directors, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, as well as blue chippers like celebrated ceramicist Magdalene Odundo (whose work was a key influence on Dior’s Spring Summer 2026 couture collection), and a panel of consulting experts that include some of the world’s most influential cultural figures, such as mixed media artist Ibrahim Mahama (who recently staged his first solo show here at Singapore Art Week 2026).

As we reported last year, the shortlisted works of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026 will be shown at the National Gallery Singapore from 13 May to 14 June 2026, with the winner and two special mentions to be announced on 12 May.

Here, a closer look at the works of the finalists (and sending all the best vibes to Koh!):

Adelene Koh

Adelene Koh, Singapore, ‘Endless’, 2025, paper, embroidery threads, aluminium wire, 120 × 120 × 55 mm

Baba Tree Master Weavers × Alvaro Catalan de Ocon

Baba Tree Master Weavers × Alvaro Catalan de Ocon, Spain, ‘Fra Fra Tapestry #2’, 2024, natural and black dyed elephant grass, clay, 10 × 3300 × 3100 mm

Jobe Burns

Jobe Burns, United Kingdom, ‘Laying Vessel’, 2025, steel, paint, lacquer, 1500 × 1220 × 1500 mm

Soohyun Chou

Soohyun Chou, Republic of Korea, ‘Reconstructed Perspective Vessel 3C1L’, 2025, comprised of pieces 1-3, silicon bronze, copper, each 250 × 250 × 150 mm

Morten Lobner Espersen

Morten Lobner Espersen, Denmark, ‘#2572’, 2025, stoneware, glazes, 305 × 305 × 455 mm

Liam Fleming

Liam Fleming, Australia, ‘Patterns of Pressure’, 2025, glass, 480 × 279 × 380 mm

Oskar Gustafsson

Oskar Gustafsson, Sweden, ‘Hierarchies of Existence’, 2024, ash wood, copper thread, hard wax oil, 400 × 400 × 2300 mm

Susan Halls

Susan Halls, United Kingdom, ‘Edifice’, 2025, glazed ceramic, stoneware, 440 × 660 × 840 mm

Gjertrud Hals

Gjertrud Hals, Norway, ‘Scala’, 2025, comprised of pieces 3-5, cotton and linen thread, resin, various dimensions

Chia-Chen Hsieh

Chia-Chen Hsieh, Taiwan Region, ‘Rhythm in Grid’, 2025, bamboo, urushi, dye, 700 × 700 × 700 mm

Maria Koshenkova

Maria Koshenkova, Denmark, ‘Faun’s Flesh (Arena Rosada)’, 2025, blown sculpted glass, vintage found glass, 400 x 850 x 420 mm

Jong In Lee

Jong In Lee, Republic of Korea, ‘Baeheullim’, 2025, walnut wood, 975 × 400 × 615 mm

Somyeong Lee

Somyeong Lee, Republic of Korea, ‘Chronicle of Matter’, 2025, comprised of ‘Chronicle of Matter 001’ and ‘Chronicle of Matter 002’,steam-bending oak, ocher, rope and mixed media, 600 × 1100 × 550 mm

Misako Nakahira

Misako Nakahira, Japan, ‘Interaction #YB’, 2024, wool, cotton, 1134 × 1023 × 8 mm

Fadekemi Ogunsanya

Fadekemi Ogunsanya, Nigeria, ‘We Are Not Lying, Your Language is Not Enough’, 2025, cotton fabric, plastic beads, cottonand polyester padding, 30 × 1670 × 2150 mm

Jieun Park

Jieun Park, Republic of Kore, ‘Seed of Circulation’, 2025, oxidized sterling silver, linen thread, 153 × 153 × 254 mm

Jongjin Park

Jongjin Park, Republic of Korea, ‘Strata of Illusion’, 2025, porcelain, paper, stain, glaze, 750 × 450 × 560 mm

Rafael Perez Fernandez

Rafael Perez Fernandez, Spain, ‘Time To Time’, 2023, comprised of pieces 1-3, porcelain, clay, each 240 × 300 × 240 mm

Dorothea Pruhl

Dorothea Pruhl, Germany, ‘Migratory Birds’, 2025, titanium, gold, 290 × 430 × 50 mm

Kirstie Rea

Kirstie Rea, Australia, ‘Repose 2’, 2024, glass, 120 × 900 × 200 mm

Vivi Rosa

Vivi Rosa, Brazil, ‘Resonance’, 2024, cement, recycled glass powder, shredded cotton, wire, adhesive, 210 × 530 × 690 mm

Herve Sabin

Herve Sabin, Haiti, ‘Sevi-Te’, 2024, wood, beeswax, oil paint, 161 × 508 × 203 mm

Xanthe Somers

Xanthe Somers, Zimbabwe, ‘The Caretaker’s Clotheshorse’, 2025, glazed stoneware, 460 × 460 × 940 mm

Coco Sung

Coco Sung, Republic of Korea, ‘Shadow Kkokdu’, 2025, comprised of ‘Optak’, ‘Liebero’, ‘Pupillove’, ‘Bongja’ and ‘Pupsi’,clay, lacquer, coloured wire, beads, Swarovski stones, various dimensions

Nobuyuki Tanaka

Nobuyuki Tanaka, Japan, ‘Inner side – Outer Side 2021 N’, 2021, lacquer hemp, 950 × 980 × 2080 mm

Graziano Visintin

Graziano Visintin, Italy, ‘Collier’, 2025, comprised of pieces 1 and 2, gold, Niello, various dimensions

Rayah Wauters

Rayah Wauters, Belgium, ‘A Turn Toward Possibility’, 2025, Belgian poplar wood, black ink, 90 × 515 × 245 mm

Nan Wei

Nan Wei, China, ‘Knot-Loving’, 2025, lacquer, cow leather, linen, 190 × 230 × 250 mm

Jane Yang-D’Haene

Jane Yang-D’Haene, United States of America, ‘Untitled’, 2024, stoneware, porcelain, glaze, 609 × 609 × 559 mm

Ayano Yoshizumi

Ayano Yoshizumi, Japan, ‘ICON #2507 Group’, comprised of ‘ICON #2507 No. 2’, 2025, and ‘ICON #2304 No. 3’, 2023, glass, acrylic paint, glitter, various dimensions