Jongjin Park has been selected as the final winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026.
 
Established in 2016, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize was launched with the aim of carrying forward the spirit of craftsmanship rooted in Loewe, which began as a leather workshop in 1846. Now in its eleventh edition, the award has played a significant role in repositioning craft within contemporary artistic discourse by highlighting works that reinterpret traditional craft techniques through each artist’s own distinctive methods.
 
For this year’s competition, artists representing 133 countries and regions submitted more than 5,100 works, among which six Korean artists were shortlisted.

This year’s final winner, Jongjin Park, has consistently combined the discipline of craft with a conceptual approach to collectible design. His award-winning work, Strata of Illusion (2025), features a twisted linear seating structure and was created as a single ceramic body through a layered process combining paper, ceramics, stain, and glaze.
 
The distortions that emerged during the process produced an irregular and hollow interior form, reflecting the artist’s interest in the instability of materials while simultaneously capturing the tension that exists between control and collapse.

Park’s work reportedly received support from 12 out of 14 jurors in the first round of secret voting. Loewe’s Creative Directors, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who joined the jury for the first time this year, commented on the work, stating: “The idea of combining porcelain and paper is original. The coloration, monumental form, and complexity are also striking, while fragility and powerful strength coexist within the piece.”
 
As this year’s winner, Jongjin Park will receive a prize of €50,000. Around thirty finalist works, including Park’s award-winning piece, will be on view at National Gallery Singapore through June 14.

References

• 로에베 재단, 2026 로에베 재단 공예상 (Loewe Foundation, Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026)
• 로에베 재단 인스타그램 (Loewe Foundation Instagram)