Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park wins Loewe Craft Prize 2026

Madrid – From Singapore, the Spanish house Loewe has celebrated the ninth edition of its annual international craft prize, hosted by its foundation. The 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize has been awarded to Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park. Additionally, special mentions were given to Italian jeweller Graziano Visintin and a collaborative project between Spanish designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and the Ghanaian collective, Baba Tree Master Weavers.

The call for entries for this latest edition of the prize opened at the end of July 2025. By the end of last February 2026, the Loewe Foundation announced the 30 finalists, selected by the prize's committee of experts from 5,100 applications submitted by artists from 133 countries and regions worldwide. These 30 artists, representing 20 countries and regions, have had their competition entries form the basis of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Singapore, running from May 13 to June 14. It was from this same venue that the winner of the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize was announced on Tuesday. The jury members named Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park as the winner, adding two special mentions for Italian jeweller Graziano Visintin and the collaborative project by Spanish industrial designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and the Ghanaian collective Baba Tree Master Weavers.

Reflecting on this year's entries, Sheila Loewe, president of the Loewe Foundation, stated in a release from the cultural organisation linked to the historic Spanish fashion house: “I am prouder than ever of the ninth edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. This year’s finalist works have been some of the most difficult to evaluate.” She continued: “This year’s finalist pieces have given the jury the opportunity to debate the limits of what is possible in the present and future of craftsmanship. For me, it is a constant honour to be at the epicentre of this crossroads of discovery, emotion and artisanal skill, and to witness firsthand the creative efforts of such extraordinary artists.”

“It has been a pleasure to be part of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize jury,” stated Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Loewe's new creative directors. They highlighted that “craftsmanship has been the soul of Loewe since its founding 180 years ago.” The pair made their debut as jury members for this international craft prize, which coincided with the official announcement of their creative direction at the 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize ceremony in Madrid. From this new position, they added: “We have witnessed the enormous commitment, creativity and innovation in each of the finalist works, which stand as a powerful testament to the infinite possibilities offered by the act of creation.”

Jongjin Park, winner of the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize

Focusing on the award winners, the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize has been awarded to Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park (Republic of Korea, 1982) for his work “Strata of Illusion (2025)”. The sculptural piece, in the form of a seat, earns him a prize of 50,000 euros. It was widely praised by the jury for both the quality and evocative nature of the work itself, and for the equally inspiring artisanal process used by the Korean ceramicist to create it. Park now joins the growing list of winners of this increasingly influential award in the worlds of art and fashion. This influence was highlighted by the collaboration announced in April 2025 between Zara and Chinese artist Fanglu Lin, the 2021 Loewe Craft Prize winner.

“The selection criteria sought to identify the most outstanding works for their technical virtues, artistic merit, innovation and vision,” the Loewe Foundation explained regarding the Korean ceramicist's win. Following these guidelines, “the jury chose Jongjin Park’s work for its ability to challenge all preconceptions about ceramics, resulting in an unexpected yet decisive sculptural presence.” The foundation added: “Although it stems from the porcelain tradition, the work explores the tension between control and collapse.” It was created from “a dense, rectilinear mass formed by thousands of overlapping layers of paper coated with porcelain slip in different colours,” and it references “multiple craft traditions.” The “injection of air that shapes the piece evokes glassblowing, while the layering of paper evokes bookbinding.” Through this evocative process, “the work resists a single material interpretation.” The jury was particularly struck by “the metaphor of the paper vanishing during the firing process and the sincere imperfection of the deformed volume.” These aspects were especially influential in the choice of Park, considering that “the integrity of the creative process is the common thread in the Prize’s narrative, where shaping, risk and the behaviour of materials are vehicles of meaning.”

Two special mentions

As previously mentioned, alongside the winner of the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, the jury also awarded special mentions. Italian goldsmith Graziano Visintin (Italy, 1954) was recognised for his work “Collier (2025)”, two geometric necklaces made of small cubes and spheres constructed from a thin metal sheet partially decorated with niello and fine gold leaf. The other mention went to the collaborative effort by Spanish industrial designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón (Spain, 1975) and the Ghanaian collective Baba Tree Master Weavers for “Frafra Tapestry (2024)”. This large-format tapestry is inspired by aerial photographs of villages in the Gurunsi region of Ghana, woven in the African republic from plans designed in Madrid. For these two works, in addition to the special mention, their creators will each receive a prize of 5,000 euros.

Regarding the Italian jeweller's two necklaces, “formed by tiny cubes decorated with niello and constructed from fine gold leaf using an ancient goldsmithing technique,” the jury “was impressed by Visintin’s skilful and original use of these materials to create two contemporary pieces of jewellery, highlighting the pictorial form generated by applying niello to gold and creating an effect where infinite miniature paintings are united with great elegance.” As for the “large-format, communally made tapestry,” which is revealed as a “living anthropological document,” the jury valued “the fusion of contemporary technology and ancestral craft knowledge” for its recognition. They also praised it as an “intercontinental artistic initiative that aims to preserve the collective memory of an architectural tradition and a way of life, both in danger of extinction.”

Looking beyond the works recognised by the jury, the Loewe Foundation noted that “a careful negotiation between balance, instability and tension can be seen in many of this year’s finalist works.” With “sober colour palettes altered by sudden changes of colour; smooth surfaces traversed by moments of rupture; and precise geometries that are softened, deformed or displaced,” the pieces present “ordered systems” that “are subtly disturbed.” There are constant “references to the natural world” which also “underpin the choice of materials and processes.” They added that “cultural traditions serve as an additional frame of reference,” with “practices that transform and reinterpret basketry, textiles, dyeing and architecture.” These techniques are “reinterpreted through contemporary scales, collaborations and contexts.” “Overall, the works present craftsmanship as a living language, shaped equally by continuity and alteration.”