Fine Art
Impressive LOEWE Craft Prize finalists
An untitled ceramic work by Michal Fargo from Germany. Part of Fargo’s “Soft Accents” collection, pieces are sculpted in stoneware clay and coated with fibers.
Image courtesy of: Coveted Edition
In February, the LOEWE Foundation announced the 29 finalists who were shortlisted for the Craft Prize of 2019. A panel of nine experts choose from over 2,500 submissions. Artisans from over 100 countries submitted original works made from a very wide range of materials- ceramics, bookbinding, paper, and enamelwork being among some of the materials the artisans used.
Later this month, the winner will be announced after all the finalists’ works are exhibited in Tokyo from June 26- July 22.
“Form of Wind” by Massnori Nishikawa. The Japanese artist uses the ancient Japanese lacquer technique called urushi. A unique and contemporary result is the end product.
Image courtesy of: LOEWE Foundation
2019 saw a 44% increase in the number of entries, in comparison to 2018. This is only the 3rd edition of the LOEWE Foundation’s Craft Prize. The Foundation was founded thirty years ago by Enrique Loewe Lynch to support and help preserve different fields of creativity. We can’t help but think that Mr. Loewe would be extremely pleased at 2019’s submissions.
“Cocoon Top Serie 1” by Youngsoon Lee from Korea. Made from Korean mulberry paper (old book paper).
Lee’s vessels are painstakingly constructed from paper. The baskets are meant to resemble the vessels which were traditionally used to collect shrimp. However in this application, the vessels are stacked one atop of the other.
Image courtesy of: LOEWE Foundation
Executive secretary, Anatxu Zabaleascoa, of the Craft Prize’s jury panel said this about the competition, “The LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize sets the level of skills, will and artistic ambition for which craft should strive”. Since its inception, the prize has identified work “that reinterprets existing knowledge to make it relevant today while reflecting its maker’s personal language and distinct hand, the LOEWE Foundation aims to highlight the continuing contribution of craft to the culture of our time.”
“Surface Tactility #11” by Japanese artist, Genta Ishizuka.
Submitted in the Lacquer category, the materials used were urushi, styrene foam balls, 2-way tricot, and linen cloth.
Image courtesy of: LOEWE Foundation
The wonderful thing about this competition, is that many artisans alter traditional methods to create their contemporary works. For example above, Ishizuka used a bag of oranges as his inspiration. Relying on his expertise of urushi lacquer techniques (which originated in Japan between the 7th and 8th centuries), Ishizuka maximizes the appearance of gloss to create a completely contemporary appeal.
“Net” is made by Annie Turner from the United Kingdom. No straw here, this “tote” is actually a piece of ceramics made from red gorged clay, lithium glaze, and yellow iron oxide.
With amazing control of the ceramics, this latticework piece is as sensitive as it appears. Paying homage to questions of space, volume, texture, and geometry, Turner’s “controlled decisions” lead to an unexpected result.
Image courtesy of: LOEWE Foundation
The jury of 11 is made up of leading figures from the world of design, architecture, museum curatorship, and design. One additional judge will be Jennifer Lee, the 2018 LOEWE Craft Prize winner. Stay tuned!
