Craft's Biggest Night Just Got Even More Interesting
From a Korean artist's paper-and-porcelain experiment to a Ghana-Spain weaving collaboration, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026 celebrates craft at its most inventive. And for the first time, the Prize comes to Southeast Asia to announce its winner, supported by an exhibition of the finalists at the National Gallery Singapore. A total of 30 finalists are exhibited, including twelve from Asia, all shortlisted from over 5,100 entries this year.
Apart from journalists from around the globe, the announcement ceremony featured a star-studded guests list. Among them were Thai stars Baifern, Phuwin Tang and Tawan Vihokratana, as well as Hong Kong actress Kara Wai and Japanese actor/dancer Min Tanaka. Royalty was also in the mix as the event welcomed Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah Athiyatullah binti Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. Additionally, Loewe brand ambassador Giselle of girl group æspa was given the honour to announce the winner of this year's top prize.
Snapshots from the Craft Prize 2026
And the winner is ...
For the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2026, Korean ceramic artist Jongjin Park took the top award for "Strata of Illusion", a work that begins as layered paper and ends as something altogether more unpredictable.
Korean ceramic artist Jongjin Park, with the Craft Prize 2026 winning piece, "Strata of Illusion"
Perhaps tellingly, prior to the announcement, Park's masterpiece was a surprise crowd favourite at the exhibition. The artist was surrounded by a horde of visitors wanting to learn more about "Strata of Illusion". Park constructed his piece from thousands of paper sheets coated in coloured porcelain slip. Then, once fired, the paper burns away. As a result, the structure slumps and distorts into a form shaped by heat and chance.
The jury, which included architect Frida Escobedo, designer Patricia Urquiola and LOEWE creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, found this process deeply compelling—because it is honest, unrepeatable, and fully committed to its own logic.
"Strata of illusion" by Jongjin Park
Furthermore, the work speaks to several craft traditions simultaneously. The jury noted references to glassblowing in its use of air to establish form, and to bookbinding in the act of layering. Park's practice, which bridges ceramics and collectible design, has previously been shown at Design Miami and PAD London. He is also an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University.
The jury for the Craft Prize 2026
Two Collaborations That Caught the Jury's Eye
The first special mention goes to Graziano Visintin of Italy. His two necklaces, submitted as Collier (2025), use niello—an ancient black metalwork technique—applied to tiny gold cubes. The jury admired the painterly precision of the work. It is, in essence, jewellery as fine art.
Graziano Visintin of Italy, and his "Collier (2025)" necklaces.
The second mention is altogether more collaborative. Spanish designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón joined forces with the Baba Tree Master Weavers in Ghana to produce "Frafra Tapestry (2024)". Based on aerial photographs of a traditional Gurunsi village, it was woven using elephant-grass by a team of eight master weavers. The jury praised it as both a technical achievement and a document of collective memory.
Spanish designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón (right) with Mary Anaba from the Baba Tree Master Weavers in Ghana. Right: "Frafra Tapestry (2024)".
A Prize That Comes to Southeast Asia
But what makes this edition particularly notable is where the work will be seen. The full exhibition of 30 shortlisted pieces opens at National Gallery Singapore on 13 May 2026, running until 14 June. It is the first time many of these works will be accessible to audiences across Southeast Asia. Given Singapore's standing as a regional hub for art and design, it is a fitting home for a Prize that champions craft as a living, evolving practice.
The 30 finalist of the Craft Prize 2026, at the National Gallery Singapore.
Sheila Loewe, President of the LOEWE Foundation, described this year's shortlist as one of the hardest to judge in the Prize's history. Given what's on show, it's easy to understand why. This is one exhibition you wouldn’t want to miss.
