On May 12, 2026, at Singapore’s National Gallery, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize named South Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park the winner of its ninth edition. His work, Strata of Illusion, began as sheets of paper coated in tinted porcelain slip, then folded, stacked, compressed, and fired until the paper was transformed into a single warped ceramic body. Park received the €50,000 prize, while special mentions went to Baba Tree Master Weavers with Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and to Italian jewellery designer Graziano Visintin. (wallpaper.com)

What makes Park’s victory so compelling is not only the finished object, but the idea behind it. The piece resembles a seat, yet it also looks like a record of pressure, collapse, and survival. According to LOEWE’s finalist description, the work preserves creases, shifts, and warping rather than hiding them, capturing a tension between control and breakdown. That is why this year’s result feels important: the prize is showing that contemporary craft is no longer judged only by refinement or tradition, but also by its willingness to experiment with unstable materials and unexpected processes. (craftprize.loewe.com)

The wider shortlist reinforces that message. LOEWE selected 30 finalists from more than 5,100 submissions, representing 19 countries and regions and a wide spread of media, from ceramics and bookbinding to bamboo, metal, glass, lacquer, textiles, and furniture. One striking example is Fra Fra Tapestry #2, which combines overhead drone photography and AutoCAD planning with elephant-grass weaving rooted in Ghanaian craft knowledge. This is the new boundary line suggested by the 2026 prize: handwork is not the opposite of modern design. Instead, it is where memory meets innovation, and where tradition stays alive by changing form. The exhibition in Singapore is on view through June 14, 2026. (wallpaper.com)