TALENTE München. Masters of the Future Prizes 2025

The special show gives young designers from all over the world the opportunity to present their work to a large audience. The aim is to promote talented young people from all areas of the skilled trades and to demonstrate the future potential inherent to the skilled trades. An international jury selects the winners of the TALENTEmünchen award, and a catalogue is published at the same time. For many participants, the competition is the start of an artistic and creative career. This year, seven prizes were awarded in the design category.

Glass
Andreas Rier / Germany
Andreas Rier from South Tyrol makes coloured glass objects, asymmetrical in shape but stackable. They straddle the line between utility object and sculpture. The irregular, seemingly moving shapes are created by blowing them into a wooden mould, which he makes himself from tree trunks using a chainsaw and a carving knife. Forests, trees and nature in general fascinate the artist; they are always changing and yet they stand for permanence.

Textile
Lisa Fuhrig / Germany
Lisa Fuhrig is being honoured for a textile spatial object made of three-dimensional, airy fabric in a fresh colour scheme of yellow-green and light blue. The textiles are created on the jacquard loom and are then treated with heat. They consist of several layers of synthetic fibers, some of which shrink at high temperatures. In Lisa Fuhrig's textile works, the jury particularly praised the transfer of her experience on the hand loom to modern techniques, the subtle colourfulness and the depth effect.

Textile
Paula Holzhauser / Germany
The production of industrially manufactured textiles not only causes environmental damage, but also a lot of production waste. Paula Holzhauser works with these leftovers. By knotting and twisting them, she succeeds in lengthening the often short residual fibers and thus creates a functional yarn. The yarn becomes the designer, the colourfulness of her works results from the remnants. The colour combinations and subtle transitions lend Paula Holzhauser's works a special charm, especially as they present very different perceptions with their striking folds: a change of perspective with a surprise effect!

Metal
Yegyu Shin from South Korea / Germany
Yegyu Shin has created a series of silver spoons: the handle and spoon are joined together with a cross-stitch of red thread. The spoons vary in size: from very small to a large, central spoon and back again to increasingly smaller pieces. The sizes symbolize the human life cycle. The idea is based on the observation that spoons accompany people from an early age until the end of their lives. The fine silver spoons symbolize the fragility, delicacy and purity of life.

Jewellery
Natascha Frechen / Germany
Natascha Frechen is being honoured for two necklaces from her "Fragments" series. The pendants are made from stones (heliotropes), the necklace from woven nettle. At first glance, the necklaces look like archaeological finds. The stones are cut and polished in an elaborate process so that they appear almost soft, like a piece of textile or malleable sheet metal. Some of the jury's words of praise for Natascha Frechen's work included her handling of the material, as well as the impression of softness in the stone.

Ceramics
Onno Theelen / Netherlands
Onno Theelen shows a one-metre-high ceramic sculpture. Several small crocodiles with open mouths and large eyes cavort on a shiny silver vessel that looks like metal. The shiny glaze makes their bodies appear slippery. At first glance, the figurative depiction and the formal language make the sculpture appear historical. However, the motif is very contemporary in its absurdity. The jury was impressed by the courage of this aesthetically daring work, but also by the craftsmanship, which is partly turned and modelled by hand.

Leather / Vessel
Ta Chun Wei / Taiwan
Ta Chun Wei is honoured for his leather vessels. The bowls and vases consist of dozens of small individual pieces that are sewn together by hand. In addition, each segment is embossed in a circular pattern. The overall effect is reminiscent of traditional Asian ritual vessels made of bronze. The light ochre colour also looks like clay or skin. The jury was impressed by the handling of the material, the individual, innovative concept, the precise construction and the craftsmanship. The material transfer from metal to leather is just as interesting as the creative engagement with the tradition of regional metal craftsmanship.

All works can be seen at «Handwerk & Design» in Hall B1 at the Munich Exhibition Centre up to and including Sunday 16 March.
The international jury was formed by:

Design:
Prof Tulga Beyerle, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, DE.
Prof. Yves Ebnöther, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Department of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering, CH.
Prof. Arwed Guerdian, Hof University of Applied Sciences, Münchberg Campus, DE.
Katrin Krupka, German Design Graduates GDG German Design Council Frankfurt a.M., DE.
Prof Chequita Nahar, Academie Beeldende Kunsten Maastricht, NL.
Michael Schischke, Institut français Munich, FR/DE.
Prof Barbara Schmidt, Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, DE.

Technology:
Prof Anne Bergner, State Academy of Fine Arts (ABK) Stuttgart, Campus Weißenhof, DE.
Markus Sieber, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Crystallography Section, DE.

Contact:
Public & Media Relations Manager,
Giuliana Schmitt, giuliana.schmitt@ghm.de
Tel: +49(0)89 189 149 162