Material and Memory: The Winner and Special Mentions of the 2026 Loewe Craft Prize

For this year’s Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, South Korean ceramic artist and assistant professor Jongjin Park is named the winner, for his sculpture Strata of Illusion.

It registers, first and foremost, as a single-seater couch, patchworked and caving in. Then, as a stack of newspapers, glued together in perpetuity. A closer look, a longer pause; neither of these will immediately give way to comprehension of the work of Jongjin Park for what it actually is: a ceramic masterpiece not even two feet tall.

Park’s sculpture, titled Strata of Illusion, was hailed as the winner of this year’s prestigious Craft Prize. Launched by the Loewe Foundation exactly a decade ago, this is the first edition under the Spanish house’s new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. In a joint statement, the duo says, “It has been a privilege to join the jury of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Craft has been at the heart of Loewe since the House was founded 180 years ago.”

According to the brand statement, Park’s seat-like piece “explores the tension between control and collapse, constructed as a dense, rectilinear mass formed from thousands of layered sheets of paper coated in coloured porcelain slip.” In the kiln, heat and gravity shape the final form, with the encasing porcelain yielding as the paper inside burns away.

A ceramic artist and assistant professor at Seoul Women’s University, Park has had a long-standing fascination with ceramics. This manifested in further studies: an MA in Ceramics from Cardiff Metropolitan University, and an MFA, BFA, and PhD in Ceramics from Kookmin University. His works have traveled to Design Miami, Miami; PAD London Art+Design, London; EMERGE Singapore, Singapore; and Collect, London. He forged collaborations with luxury brands and, in 2024, was awarded the Excellence Prize at the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Competition.

His work was among the 30 shortlisted, which will continue to be exhibited at the National Gallery Singapore until June 14 this year. The shortlisted set represents 20 countries and regions, and a range of mediums including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewelry, and lacquer. They were chosen from 5,100 submissions by artists hailing from 133 countries and regions; Loewe Foundation president Sheila Loewe reveals that this year’s selection process was among the most difficult to date.

“I feel continually honoured to be at the heart of such discovery, excitement and skill in the world of craft and witness close hand the creative endeavour of such extraordinary artists,” she expresses.

The panel of experts considered a criterion of technical accomplishment, skill, innovation, and artistic vision. Park’s Strata of Illusion stood out “for its ability to confound expectations of what ceramics can be, revealing a sculptural presence that is at once unexpected and purposeful.” While it is rooted in porcelain, the sculpture evokes various craft traditions. “The use of air to establish form evokes glassblowing, while the layering of paper gestures at bookbinding,” Loewe’s statement reads.

In addition to Park, the jury of expert panelists selected two special mentions among the shortlisted works. There was Collier by Graziano Visintin and Frafra Tapestry by Baba Tree Master Weavers (Mary Anaba, Charity Aveamah Atuah, Christiana Anaba Akolpoka, Asakiloro Aduko, Mary Ayinbogra, Teni Ayine, Subolo Ayine, and Punka Joe) × Álvaro Catalán de Ocón.

Following his win, Park wrote on Instagram, “What made this year especially meaningful was seeing seven Korean artists, including myself, selected among the 30 finalists. It felt like we were able to show the current energy and potential of Korean craft together on an international stage.”

His sentiments point to the persisting power of representation, especially on a stage as large as Loewe’s. This sort of pride hits close to home, particularly for Filipino creatives who celebrated Racso Jugarap as the first Filipino finalist of the Loewe Craft Prize in 2024. His sculptural wire series Echinoid was inspired by early memories of catching sea urchins with his uncle, on a beach ten minutes away from his home in General Santos City, along the Southern shores of Mindanao.

In the end, the winning title was conferred to a different artist that year. But one might consider the real triumph to be the plain act of creating, which requires the courage to see material and memory in a counterintuitive light.

As McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s words on the 2026 shortlisted works put it, “…we encountered an extraordinary sense of commitment, creativity, and innovation. Together, they stand as a powerful testament to the enduring possibilities of making.”