29 finalists of the Loewe Craft Prize 2019 announced

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Deloss Webber, Geisha Handbag Series. Five handbags of different sizes featuring tightly embroidered wooden bases that make up at least 50% of the bag. The top half or third is a different material in blue, white or grey. The bag handle is on either side which leads up to a wooden handle.
US-based artist Deloss Webber’s Geisha Handbag Series in granite, Susutake bamboo, rattan, and pigment (2016) is a homage to Japanese weaving techniques. Granite objects inserted into each basket, render them functionally obsolete but visually compelling
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Loewe has just revealed the 29 artists shortlisted for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2019. It’s the third edition of the global competition that was conceived by creative director and keen craft collector Jonathan Anderson in 2016 to promote and honour contemporary craftmanship from around the globe in all its myriad forms.

This year, over 2,500 submissions from over 100 countries (a YOY increase of 44 per cent) were reviewed by a panel of nine experts, who convened in Madrid for two days to ‘identify the most outstanding works in terms of techinical accomplishment, innovation and artistic vision’. As always the finalists hail from far reaches of the globe, although there are a notable quota of 10 representing Japan, eight are UK-based and there are four from Korea.

A jury composed of 11 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism, criticism, and museum curatorship, including Anderson and also Jennifer Lee, winner of last year's prize, will select the winner from the shortlist.

Each year the announcement of the winner takes place in a different city. Last year’s ceremony took place at London’s Design Museum and for the inaugural year the announcement and exhibition took place in Loewe's home city of Madrid. This year the jury will travel to Tokyo and the prize of 50,000 euros will be presented to the winner on 25 June at the opening of the Loewe Craft Prize 2019 exhibition, which is being held at Isamu Noguchi’s indoor stone garden ‘Heaven’ at the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo – a suitably tranquil setting in which to enjoy the rich diversity of hand-hewn works on display.

Cocoon Top series by Youngsoon Lee and Tanka with Silvver by Shozo Michikawa for Loewe craft prize

Youngsoon Lee, Korea, Cocoon Top Series 1, korean mulberry paper (old book), 2016 (left); and Shozo Michikawa, Japan, Tanka with silver, stoneware, silver liquid glaze, 2018 (right)

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Three linen items. Left: A grey rectangular shaped item with a diamond pattern in the centre. Top right: A rectangular item in dark grey. Bottom right: a square item in gold with an internal square.

Sophie Rowley, New Zealand, ‘Khadi Frays, cotton, linen, 2018

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Side by side images of objects. Left: A box in lava style glaze and metal oxide colour. Right: a white cube made of mesh material.

Tomonari Hashimoto, Japan, Rain box, stoneware, glaze, metal oxide, 2018 (left); Sachi Fujikake, Japan, Vestige, glass, 2018 (right)

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Four oval dishes, two in silver/gold colour and two in black.

Ruudt Peters, Netherlands, Suctus, bog oak, silver/amber, 2018

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LefT: A deep blue velvet stoneware ceramic Right: Sketch of a dress with a V shaped chest.

Michal Fargo, Israel, Blue Velvet from the “Soft Accents” series, stoneware ceramics, fibres (flocking), 2018 (left); Minhee Kim, Korea, Funeral Clothes for the Women, monofilament, 2018 (right)

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Left: A three face object with a curved based that leads up to a pointed top. The base is orange in colour, the left is grey and the front is deep blue. Right: A brown steel wire cylinder object

Masanori Nishikawa, Japan, Form of the wind, urushi, linen cloth, Japanese paper, tin powder, platinum powder, 2018 (left); Kye-Yeon Son, Canada, Innatus Forma 2018-1, steel wire, rust, wax finish, 2018 (right)

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A black block seat with a curved indentation for where to sit.

Jim Partridge and Liz Walmsley, United Kingdom, Curved Block Seat, oak, 2018

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A 3-Dimensional oval ring in beige with a black background and hole in the middle.

Henar Iglesias, Spain, Confübius, feathers, wax, parper, wood and paint, 2018

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Left: A concrete block bar in grey and white. Right: Three semi-circle multi-layered objects with hooks on the top layer.

Harry Morgan, United Kingdom, ‘Untitled’ from Dichotomy Series, glass, concrete, 2018 (left); Heeseung Koh, Republic of Korea, A regular sign, walnut, acrylic, 925 silver, paint, 2018

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A circle of gold boxes connected to each other.

Giampaolo Babetto, Italy, Collana, gold, pigment, 2017

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Left: A thin vase with narrow stem painted in various colours with paint running down the sides. Right: a small black sponge-like object.

Elke Sada, Germany, Eolophus ‘(Hallstattpiece), terra nigra, engobes, glaze, 2018 (left); Junko Mori, United Kingdom, Propogation project; Nigella Chrysanthemum, wax-coated, forged mild steel, 2017 (right)

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A gold-coloured mandala bowl.

Giovanni Corvaja, Italy, Mandala bowl, 18ct gold, 2017

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Left: A stoneware, porcelain jar with rugged edges in moon blue colour. Right: A purple bubble-like object.

Akiko Hirai, United Kingdom, The Moon Jar ‘The Life of...’, stoneware, porcelain, wood ash, white feldspathic glaze, 2018 (left); Gental Ishikuza, Japan, Surface Tactility #11, urushi, styrene foam balls, two-way tricot, linen cloth, 2018 (right)

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A black cylinder object. Right: A burgundy vase.

John Eric Byers, United States, Reveal Table, carved, blackened, lacquered maple, 2018 (left); Koichi Lo Japan, Three Legs Vase, patinated copper, 2018 (right)

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A yellow bowl with a black internal colour.

Mayu Nakata, Japan, Flame, lacquer, aluminium powder, linen, jute, Japanese paper, 2018

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Left: A wood basket; Right: Three green cones sat inside each other.

Annie Turner, United Kingdom, NET, red grogged clay, lithium glaze, yellow iron oxide, 2017 (left); JingFeng Fang & Mi Dong, China, Huim ceramic, 2018 (right)

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A wide oval shaped rock with two holes in the middle.

Kazuhito Takadoi, United Kingdon, KADO (Angle), hawthorn twigs, waxed linen twine, 2018

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Multiple pieces of wood connected to each other.

Jokum Lind Jensen, Sweden, The dark, mild-steel, 2018

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A white shelf with three bowls. Left: A yellow bowl. Centre: A clear white bowl. Right: A clear yellow bowl.

Andrea Walsh, United Kingdom, Collection of Contained Boxes, glass, fine bone china, burnished platinum, burnished gold, 2018

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INFORMATION

For more information visit the Loewe Craft Prize website