LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2022

LOEWE is pleased to announce the names of the 30 shortlisted artists for the 2022 edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize. Each finalist’s work will be exhibited at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA), Seoul from 1 July to 30 July 2022.

The fifth edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize presents an invigorating selection of works that display contemporary updates to centuries-old tradition. Many of the finalists selected this year have presented works that show a deep understanding and mastery of ancient techniques from across the globe, combined with the application of novel and unexpected materials to create works that are both relevant to our present time and relationship with the past, while striving to look to the future. The selection of works also speak to humanity’s connection to the natural world and to the geometry in natural form.

This year’s finalists were chosen by a panel of experts from over 3,100 submissions by artisans representing 116 countries and regions. The finalists selected represent 15 countries and regions and work across a list of mediums including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, leather, basketry, glass, metal, jewellery and lacquer.

The annual prize was launched by the LOEWE FOUNDATION in 2016 to celebrate excellence, artistic merit and newness in modern craftsmanship. The award, which was conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson, aims to acknowledge the importance of craft in today’s culture and recognise working artists whose talent, vision and will to innovate promise to set a new standard for the future. The prize was conceived as a tribute to LOEWE’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846.

The Craft Prize 2022 recognises the shortlisted artists as having made fundamentally important contributions to the development of contemporary craft. The finalists’ work will go on display at the newly opened Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA), the country’s first museum dedicated to Korean craft. The legacy of the exhibition will be documented by a catalogue containing each of the finalists’ pieces.

Previous iterations of the prize have been exhibited at Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (COAM), Madrid; The Design Museum, London; Isamu Noguchi’s indoor stone garden ‘Heaven’ at the Sogetsu Kaikan, Tokyo and digitally in a joint presentation with Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

Jonathan Anderson stated at the award’s inception: ‘Craft is the essence of LOEWE. 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.’

For the 2022 edition, a panel of 11 experts convened in Madrid for two days to review all the entries to the prize and select the shortlist. In their deliberations, the panel sought to identify the most outstanding works in terms of technical accomplishment, skills, innovation and artistic vision.

Regarding the selection process, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, Executive Secretary of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize Experts Panel, said: ‘We feel lucky and thankful that in this fifth edition the world seems to be coming to the Craft Prize. Among the finalists there are works from five continents which summarize the wide spectrum
of contemporary craft and the bridges it is building among disciplines, materials, technologies and pre-technologies. This adds to de diversity that we aim – by considering all categories of craft – a cosmopolitan dimension that describes the best craft as being both timeless and yet very rooted.’

A jury composed of 13 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship will select the winner of the 2022 Craft Prize. The prize awarded to the winner is 50,000 Euros and the announcement will be made on 30 June 2022, at the opening of the Craft Prize 2022 exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.

The LOEWE FOUNDATION

The LOEWE FOUNDATION was established as a private cultural foundation
in 1988 by Enrique Loewe, a fourth-generation member of LOEWE’s founding family. Today, under the direction of his daughter Sheila Loewe, the Foundation continues to promote creativity, organise educational programs and protect cultural heritage in the fields of craft, design, photography, poetry and dance. The Foundation was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish government in 2002.

More information:
web | www.loewe.com
blog | www.blogfundacionloewe.es

Instagram | @loewefoundation

LOEWE & Culture

With the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize the house reasserts its longstanding commitment to creativity in all forms and disciplines. Culture is a pillar of the brand. Reflecting fashion’s vital link to contemporary life, a strong emphasis on art, design and craftsmanship has been a cornerstone of Jonathan Anderson’s rebuilding of the house. Since Anderson’s appointment in 2013, LOEWE has initiated an important series of collaborations with artists and artisans who reinterpret and expand the brand’s values. Apart from showcasing the many facets of LOEWE, these cultural projects reflect the transfer of knowledge and the cooperative spirit that have been characteristic of LOEWE since the day it was founded.

The Room

The Room is a digital platform dedicated to showcasing works by the artists nominated for the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, our annual international award celebrating excellence in craftsmanship.

Part of the LOEWE FOUNDATION’s longstanding commitment to supporting contemporary craft, The Room enables the artists to share their work with a global audience and give viewers the opportunity to discover, research and collect art
by some of the world’s most innovative craftspeople working today.

Find out more at theroom.loewe.com

About The Seoul Museum of Craft Art

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) is the first public museum dedicated to craft in Korea. Located in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, SeMoCA is housed in a renovated complex once occupied by Pungmoon Girls’ Highschool. SeMoCA is a centre for both the display and study of craft and holds an extensive archive and library with the goal of becoming a dynamic platform for experiencing

the technical, practical, artistic and cultural values of the field.

SeMoCA’s collection includes 20,000 pieces of craft art and craft-based materials dating from the 10th century to the present day and the museum presents an extensive programme of exhibitions, talks and events and workshops.