The Loewe Foundation awarded the artist of the year. "Kingdom of Living Beings" the best of over 4.5 thousand works!
In 2016, Jonathan Anderson initiated an international craft competition. Each year, the jury, established as part of the Loewe Foundation, honors artists from around the world who passionately develop and reinterpret craft traditions. And although Anderson has stepped down as creative director of the brand, his vision of supporting culture remains alive. Another edition of the Craft Prize is behind us, and this year's winner of the main prize is Japanese artist Kunimasa Aoki, author of the work Realm of Living Things 19.
The Loewe competition is characterised by fierce competition – this year alone, the organisers received over 4,600 entries from 133 countries, from which the jury selected just thirty finalists. Their works represent an impressive diversity of techniques, materials and cultures: from traditional ceramics and fabrics, through wood and metal sculptures, to experimental forms combining craft with new technologies. This diversity not only testifies to the strength of contemporary craftsmanship, but also inspires optimism for its future.
The Realm of Living Beings - Object 19 - Kunimasa Aoki - 2024 / Loewe Foundation press materialsAfter the gala organized at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid , Kunimasa Aoki , a graduate of sculpture at the Musashino University of Art, returned with the main Loewe Craft Prize .
Pedro Almodovar and Kunimasa Aoki / Loewe Foundation press materialsIn the award-winning series "Kingdom of Living Beings", the Japanese artist works with clay, reaching for ancient techniques of forming the material . He experiments with arranging and compressing thin coils, exploring the physical and expressive boundaries of the medium. The result is organic, irregular forms with pulsating surfaces that resemble the structure of living organisms - lichens, corals or remains of ancient creatures. Aoki himself calls the sculptures small universes.
"It's funny because you might think these are works that have been 3D printed. They're not. Aoki creates magic, layer by layer," said Sheila Loewe, president of the Loewe Foundation.
The Realm of Living Beings - Object 19 - Kunimasa Aoki - 2024 / Loewe Foundation press materialsIn addition to the main prize, the jury also awarded two special mentions - to the Nigerian designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello for TM Bench with Bowl and to the Indian Studio Sumakshi Singh for the installation Monument.
The first of these works is an embodiment of a “real-life story” and at the same time a critical commentary on the consumer circulation of goods. The aluminum object, described by the artist as a bench, is made of recycled materials and was inspired by Marcus-Bello’s experience of buying a used car and transporting it to Lagos.
Bench with a bowl - Nifemi Marcus-Bello / Loewe Foundation press materialsThe founder of Studio Sumakshi, in turn, created an “allegory of the degradation and disintegration of images over time.” The starting point was a column from the 12th-century Qutub Minar complex in Delhi, which Singh “portrayed” using extremely delicate materials— copper zari thread, traditionally used in Indian embroidery, and water-soluble fabric. The barely visible structure resembles byssus and bears traces of the precise weaves of memory.
Monument - Studio Sumakshi / Loewe Foundation press materialsAll of this year's finalists' works can be viewed at the exhibition at Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum until June 29. This is a must-see for any art lover planning to visit the Spanish capital in the coming weeks. And not only that, because for those who can't be there in person, Loewe has prepared The Room, a digital online catalogue. It's true that we won't see objects in 3D, but the photos are of such good quality that you can easily see every detail - the structure of the material, the way it's made, the small imperfections that create the character of the works.
