Every year, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize celebrates the importance of craft in contemporary culture and recognizes artists whose talent, vision, and will to innovate can set new standards for the future. Conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson, the award is a tribute to Loewe’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846. “As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word,” he says. “That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant.”
Despite only being in its third year, the award has demonstrated impressive growth. This year’s shortlist of 29 was chosen from more than 2,500 submissions (a 44 percent increase from last year) by artists representing more than 100 countries. Each finalist’s work will be exhibited at the Isamu Noguchi-designed indoor stone garden, Heaven, at the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo, from June 26 to July 22. A jury composed of creative luminaries, which include Naoto Fukasawa and Patricia Urquiola, will select and announce the grand prize winner at the exhibition’s opening ceremony on June 25.
Below, we round up our 10 favorite works from the shortlist. You can see the full list here.
