In the international contemporary art world, craft no longer remains confined to traditional techniques or functional objects. Through material, structure, form, and conceptual inquiry, contemporary craft has increasingly expanded into the territories of sculpture and spatial practice, emerging as an independent field of discourse.
 
In this context, Jongjin Park’s recognition should be understood not merely as “an international award won by a Korean ceramic artist,” but as a case that shows how ceramics are being reinterpreted within the language of contemporary form.
 
Park’s work stands at a considerable distance from conventional vessel-centered ceramics. Rather than focusing on bowls or decorative objects, his practice moves closer to the realm of ceramic sculpture, revealing structure, pressure, material accumulation, and traces of time. His award-winning work Strata of Illusion is created by layering sheets of paper, coating them with porcelain slip, and firing them at high temperatures.
 
During the firing process, the paper disappears, leaving only ceramic behind. What remains on the surface are traces that resemble fibers or textiles. The result is a structure in which soft, organic tactile impressions coexist with the rigid materiality of porcelain.
 
International media have also approached the work from a sculptural rather than purely ceramic perspective. Wallpaper described the piece as a “porcelain seat sculpture,” while Harper’s Bazaar referred to it as a “chair-shaped sculpture.” Artsy introduced Park’s work as one that “rethinks the ceramic medium,” suggesting that the artist invites viewers to reconsider ceramics itself as a medium of contemporary expression. Such descriptions indicate that his practice is being situated within the discourse of sculptural ceramics and material-based practice, moving beyond the category of functional craft.
 
What becomes significant in Park’s work is not simply the final form, but the process through which material transforms. Clay functions not merely as a material for constructing shape, but as a medium that reveals pressure, gravity, cracking, contraction, time, and traces of disappearance.

In this sense, his practice resonates with contemporary discussions surrounding materiality and process-based practice. Rather than completely controlling the material, Park embraces the ways in which material itself generates and transforms form.

Another reason Park’s work has drawn attention lies in the way it traverses the boundaries between ceramics and sculpture, craft and design. His work has been presented at international contemporary collectible and collectible design platforms such as Design Miami, PAD London, and Collect.
 
This demonstrates how his practice circulates not primarily within traditional craft markets, but within the intersections of contemporary art, collectible design, and material-based sculptural practice. The recent tendency for craft to merge with design, sculpture, and architectural spatial sensibilities within international art discourse also aligns closely with this trajectory.
 
Park’s LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize win therefore signifies more than simply elevating the international visibility of Korean ceramics. More importantly, it reflects how Korea’s material-based sculptural language is beginning to be recognized within contemporary global art discourse through new perceptions of materiality and structure.
 
At a moment when Korean contemporary art is expanding beyond painting-centered practices toward material, structure, sensation, and the physicality of matter itself, Park’s work invites renewed attention to these evolving directions.

Today, contemporary craft no longer refers merely to “technical craftsmanship.” Rather, it has become a language of form capable of reorganizing the world through material, structure, time, and physical transformation. Jongjin Park’s ceramic sculptures stand within this evolving trajectory, extending the ancient medium of ceramics into the sensory and conceptual territory of contemporary sculpture.
 

 
Artist Biography

Jongjin Park (b. 1982) is a Korean ceramic sculptor whose practice explores sculptural structure and the transformative possibilities of material through ceramics. After studying ceramics at Kookmin University, he continued his research in ceramics at Cardiff Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. He currently serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Ceramics at Seoul Women’s University.
 
Combining paper, porcelain slip, and high-temperature firing processes, his work investigates accumulation, disappearance, structure, and traces of time embedded within material. His practice has recently been presented through international contemporary collectible and contemporary craft platforms including Design Miami, PAD London, and Collect.
 
 
LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize
 
The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is an international craft award established in 2016 by the LOEWE FOUNDATION, the cultural foundation of the Spanish luxury brand LOEWE. Rather than focusing solely on the preservation of traditional techniques, the award emphasizes material experimentation, sculptural form, and the expanding possibilities of contemporary craft. It has become one of the most influential platforms in the international contemporary craft field, recognizing artists whose practices traverse the boundaries between craft, sculpture, design, and material-based art.
 
The LOEWE FOUNDATION was established in 1988 with the aim of promoting creativity, developing educational programs, and preserving cultural legacies in poetry, dance, photography, art, and craft. In 2002, the foundation received Spain’s Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts, one of the country’s highest distinctions in the field of culture.

Founded as a private cultural foundation by Enrique Loewe Lynch, a fourth-generation member of the family that established LOEWE, the LOEWE FOUNDATION is now led by his daughter, Sheila Loewe.
 
As president of the foundation, Sheila Loewe oversees its major initiatives, including international awards dedicated to craft and poetry, collaborations with leading art festivals, and support for dance.
 

 
Exhibition Information

Title:《2026 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize》
Dates: May 13 — June 14, 2026
Venue: National Gallery Singapore
Address: 1 St Andrew’s Rd, Singapore 178957
Hours: Daily 10 AM — 7 PM
Admission Fee: Free Admission
Website: craftprize.loewe.com, National Gallery Singapore