30 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalists show mastery with material

Loewe Foundation Craft Prize announces 30 global finalists for its annual award that celebrates contemporary makers

Four necklaces and a sculpture pictured. Each neckless is made with three or four different colour material (light blue). The sculpture is a large stand with a hanging attachment with a large piece of the material hanging to the bottom.
‘Habits of the Blindness,’ by Carla Garcia Durlan, Spain
(Image credit: TBC)
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For a young award of just four years, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize draws an impressive roster of talent. Ranging from six continents and 18 different countries, merging rising stars and creative experts, the accolade continues to flip the dialogue around contemporary craft, and champion material experimentation and innovation.

‘As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word. That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant,’ says Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, and the brainchild of the The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. In the light of modernity, this year’s 30 finalists (chosen from 2,920 submissions) have often looked to upcycled materials and how these can be turned skilfully into objects of beauty and resonance. ‘We are seeing works of the highest cultural and aesthetic ambition, inspired by themes that reflect the state of the world,’ says Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, executive secretary of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Experts Panel.

In the luxury brand’s Madrid base, it took the panel two days to whittle down the shortlist, that features interesting fusing of materials – from jewellery by Carla Garcia Durlan from Spain made from found fabrics and wood, to a copper wire and epoxy resin sculpture by David Corvalán, who wanted to highlight the abuse of industrial copper mining in the Atacama Desert in his hometown of Chile. Elsewhere, urushi lacquer, Japanese linden wood and hemp create an optical illusion in Kohei Ukai’s melting artwork.

A blue clay-like coated vessel.

(Image credit: TBC)

Three necklaces - in blue, yellow and cyan - hanging with random shape pendants. Below are three large blocks in blue, stone and cyan colour.

Above, ‘Like water uphill (from Crucible series),’ by Anthony Marsh, United States. Below, ‘G0’ by Edu Tarín, Germany

(Image credit: TBC)

Impressive glassworks come by way of US creative Jiyong Lee who was inspired by cellular mitosis to carve out a geometric glass structure, while Jessica Loughlin took cues from Australian deserts and salt lakes for an ethereal layered glass form that plays with light.

This year’s jury – including last year’s winner Genta Ishizuka; Anderson himself; former director of Design Museum Deyan Sudjic; architect and designer Patricia Urquiola and architect Benedetta Tagliabue – will choose the winning work in Paris, and the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition will be showcased at Musée des Arts Décoratifs there after.

Explore the shortlist below

Side by side close-up images of a grey/brown rug interchanging gradient.

‘A Little Space to Live,’ by Afsaneh Modiramani, Iran

(Image credit: TBC)

Displayed on a wood plinth are six pots (four large and two small). They are white in colour with intricate blue sketches on the pots' design.

‘Fence,’ by Bodil Manz, Denmark

(Image credit: TBC)

A circular wooden object, three dimensional in design made with wood and featuring wooden spike edges..

‘Whole Hole,’ by Darshana Raja, Kenya

(Image credit: TBC)

A brown rug in the shape of Australia.

‘Desértico II,’ by David Corvalan, Chile

(Image credit: TBC)

Three necklaces with each pendant the same but in a different style wood. The pendant are two pieces of rectangular wood joined together by a connecting piece.

‘Echoes,’ by Despo Sophocleous, Canada

(Image credit: TBC)

A white sculpture smaller on the left and wider on the right.

‘SHE,’ by Fanglu Lin, China

(Image credit: TBC)

An old mint-blue coloured bowl with rough edges and a loss of colour in some parts.

‘Carpel: Earth Matters,’ by Hyejeong Kim, Korea

(Image credit: TBC)

A 3D side-on view of a square made with and filled by wires.

‘Greater-Than,’ by Jess Tolbert, United States

(Image credit: TBC)

A vessel with predominantly blue and brown colour.

‘Guardian Vessel,’ by Jack Doherty, Ireland

(Image credit: TBC)

A thin rectangular block which has a light white/light blue colour.

‘Receptor of light IX,’ by Jessica Loughlin, Australia

(Image credit: TBC)

A light yellow and white cylinder with some sections of the object in a different colour intensity.

‘Mitosis,’ by Jiyong Lee, United States

(Image credit: TBC)

A large square made up of strips of black plastic.

‘The Labyrinth of Passions,’ by Joël Andrianomearisoa, Madagascar

(Image credit: TBC)

A metallic silver coloured vase split into multiple segments. A wider centre that narrows at the top and the bottom.

‘Chiral,’ by Kevin Grey, United Kingdom

(Image credit: TBC)

A red bolt shaped wood bench.

‘Fusion 19-07,’ by Kohei Ukai, Japan

(Image credit: TBC)

A drawing of an off-shaped star like cloth/rug/scarf with intricate shapes.

‘Second Surface,’ by Kyeok Kim, Republic of Korea

(Image credit: TBC)

Three white vases of different sizes (small, medium and large). The vases have narrow openings at the top.

‘Untitled’ (all), by Marc Ricourt, France

(Image credit: TBC)

Two brown objects with circular design and a base to allow them to stand up.

‘Movement,’ by Naama Haneman, Israel

(Image credit: TBC)

Three different shaped vases, one tall, one cup-like and one dish-like in shape. Each vessel is a a mixture of light brown and beige.

‘Policast,’ by Peter Bauhuis, Germany

(Image credit: TBC)

A black bowl.

‘For: Ottchil Wooden Bowl,’ Sukkeun Kang, Republic of Korea

(Image credit: TBC)

A brown wooden bowl.

‘Inborn,’ by Sungyoul Park, Republic of Korea

(Image credit: TBC)

Five metallic vessels of differing shapes and designs. Top left: Small base with large vase. Top right: two joining vases. Bottom left: A medium side base with a large vase. Centre: Slim base with slim tall base. Right: Continuous widening vase.

‘Transition of Traces,’ by Sungho Cho, Republic of Korea

(Image credit: TBC)

Three colourful sculptures. Left: A sculpture in green and yellow that looks like a face. Middle: A sculpture in orange, black and white that looks like a rabbit. Right: A white and black sculpture that looks like a dog.

‘Cabeza Bicho and Cloud with Handles,’ by Xavier Toubes, Spain

(Image credit: TBC)

An overhead shot of a small vase in cream with a wave-like design.

‘Chōtō: Listening to the Waves,’ by Takayuki Sakiyama, Japan

(Image credit: TBC)

Five different shaped objects in light grey. Left to right: Egg shaped; cone shaped; lead shaped; egg shaped; circular.

‘Black Twill Collection,’ by  Tobias Møhl, Denmark

(Image credit: TBC)

A black bowl at an angle.

‘Blackness,’ by Veronika Beckh, Germany

(Image credit: TBC)

An orange circular tapestry item with missing elements in the top right section.

‘The Library Has No Letters II’, by Waqas Khan, Pakistan

(Image credit: TBC)

A wide flower-bed cork style sculpture.

‘Dandelion,’ by Yang Gao, China

(Image credit: TBC)
Sujata Burman

Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences. 

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