We take a closer look at a few of the Asian artists among this year’s finalists for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
30 artists from 18 countries and regions have been selected as the finalists for this year’s Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. The selected works emerged from over 4,600 submissions, standing out in terms of technical accomplishment, skills, innovation and artistic vision.
The artisans work across various mediums, with both precious and non-precious materials, using traditional hand-tools or cutting-edge technology; ancient craft techniques are applied to new materials, traditional motifs are reimagined, creative tributes are paid to rich heritage, and new pathways carved to offer fresh directions.
We take a closer look at the works of a few of the artists from Asia and see how they work Asia’s rich heritage into their craft.
Korean artist Jungin Lee crafts a chair from more than a hundred layers of thin Hanji – traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees – a material sensitive to water yet remarkably strong when dry. Light yet durable, the chair resembles a floating cloud, its quiet beauty a reflection of the minimal, zero-waste concept. Also hailing from Korea, Yeunhee Ryu creates a lidded box referencing Korean basketry traditions, entirely from copper, its harmonious proportions and gentle curves reflecting just enough light on its hammered, oxidised surface to show the rich shade of copper.
From Japan, Akari Aso’s colourful abstract piece is constructed with dyed bamboo strips woven with the traditional Japanese Yotsume-ami technique, thus enhancing the natural flexibility of bamboo. Mikio Ishiguro explores the boundaries between nature and artifice by turning fallen leaves into a new material – the fragile leaves are crushed into a fine paste, then spread to dry for two days before being cut and assembled with glue to form this hollow sculptural work.
The use of copper is also seen in the creation by Studio Sumakshi Singh from India, where a column from a historic colonnade in the 12th-century Qutab Minar complex in Delhi is reimagined in 2D using copper zari, a thread made from pure copper and nylon, and traditional Indian braiding, lacemaking and embroidery on water-soluble fabric. When dissolved, the delicate structure left behind speaks of the degradation and disintegration of images and the preservation of memory. Lê Thúy from Vietnam also makes a commentary on irreversible loss: A trio of double-sided lacquer works are made with techniques traditionally used to preserve wood, a reverence to the felling of 6700 ancient trees in Hanoi. The concept of time is seen on the tree’s concentric rings articulated using coloured lacquer to evoke clock faces.
Didi Ng from Hong Kong also explores the natural qualities of wood. Split fir wood, with the inner woodgrain turned outwards, are joined together to form a pleated vessel with hand-carved inner walls, its fragility evoking soft, weightless fabric. Artist Fang Liang from China plays on texture to depict the moon floating between heaven and earth: black lacquer appears to flow into the void in the centre, the effect enhanced by a contrasting exterior finished with tile ash.
Year on year it gives me such pleasure to see the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize provide a platform for extraordinary talent, and change the perception of craft internationally. Over the past decade we have seen the Prize transform lives, careers, and build a global community. It is my great privilege to continue my family’s legacy.
Sheila Loewe, President of the Loewe Foundation
The annual Loewe Foundation Craft Prize began in 2016 as a tribute to Loewe’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846. Envisioned by the brand’s Creative Director Jonathan Anderson, the award recognises the importance of craft in today’s culture, and the artists whose talent, vision and innovation show promise in setting future standards.
13 leading figures from the fields of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship will decide on the winner who will be awarded €50,000. The result will be announced on 29 May 2025, at the opening of the exhibition at Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, where the works of the 30 finalists will be exhibited from 30 May until 29 June 2025. The museum offers an encyclopaedic overview of Western art through an extensive collection spanning eight centuries.
Images courtesy of Loewe, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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