Talente. Masters of the Future 2023

Artist list

Mai Aboucaya, Will Appleby, Nora Arrieta, Miki Asai, Linda Baissero, Pouya Bakhshi, Maximilian Bayer, Frida Berntsen, Markéta Brožová, Adelaide Butler, Kaiting Chan, Xinyi Chen, Martha De Ramos, Lucas Dieckmann, Julia Dietrich, Florian Eisele, Charlotte Eynard, Loana Flores, Salome Frobel, Imke Ganteför, Dagmar Gerke, Matthias Gschwendtner, Adam Hejduk, Philsoo Heo, Ramona Hess, Susie Heuberger, Abbie Holbrook, SeongHwan Hyun, Winta Isac, Jihye Han and Anna Freudenberg, Annika Joachim, Jungwoon Lee and Ruud van den Eijnden, Filip Jurny-Vojta, Nikita Kavryzhkin, Agnes Kelm, Ju Young Kim, Yoojung Kim, Anežka Klimečková, Konrad Jünger and Verena Kühn, Lisa Kottkamp, Sebastian Krimmer, Gréta Kušnírová, Tomer Laham, Jinyu Li, Sihui Li, Yinglong Li, Kai-Chiang Lin, Haisheng Liu, Viviana Losacco, Julian Botti and Carolina Hering Luis Unützer, Cong Ma, Nicole Magagnotti Panizza, Manon Papin and Jean Savard, Alessandro Mariotti, Anna Martinková, Krystina Mikolášková, Tal Narkiss, Arian Obornik, Elisabeth Ott, Joost Pantelmann, Bryan Parnham, Maria Pechstein, Yoann Piccardi, Ashley Nettye Pollack, Dominik Pompa, Anne Pruy, Catharina Rottstedt, Anna Rusínová, Anne Rysava, Hanna Schiller, Johannes Schmidtner, Lukas Schreiber, Marieke Schwartz, Bhumika Sethi, Elia Sharvit, Ya Shu, Nawon Song, Kamile Staneliene, Maja Stojkovska, Annegret Streu, María Suja, Mingrui Sun, Maxime Trassebot, Justine Van Impe, Jan Wagemann, Johannes Wandinger, Maria Watzke, Zixin Weiss, Maëva Weissen, Franziska Bernadette Wentz, Sofia Yaffe, Yuuki Yoshioka, Tingyu Zheng, Lifu Zhou, Valentin Zimmermann, Jeroen van den Bogaert, Anna Čermáková, Karin Šusteková

The special exhibition TALENTE – Meister der Zukunft is used to showcase exceptional works by designers under the age of 35. The participants come from all corners of the globe: from India to Mexico, from Iran to Lithuania. A large number of items have been submitted from the fields of textiles and jewellery, although glass also represents a small focus at this year’s event. In terms of the content being presented, the young designers have concentrated primarily on environmental protection and sustainability. Their ideas, arguments and use of new materials ultimately represent a search for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional materials. Alongside the interaction of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology, the coming together of different cultures is one of the recurring themes.

The experimental ceramic objects by Konrad Jünger are a good example. His porcelain bowls are produced using the slip casting process, although the technique was performed by a robot here rather than by hand. Products created digitally using 3D printing, CNC milling or robotics can often appear rather lifeless and cold. The work process is essentially reflected in the ultimate form here. However, Konrad Jünger was keen for the character of the material to remain intact, even when using autonomous approaches of this kind. The results of his efforts? The process can be designed so openly that the liquid slip still produces unanticipated and diverse patterns, even when executed fully automatically by a robot.

The work of Matthias Gschwendtner revolves around the random nature and diversity of shapes. The designer from Ränkam in Lower Bavaria, Germany, has developed a process that facilitates series production based on irregularly shaped materials. The key here lies in the combination of computer design, 3D scanning and robot production, as well as the constant recalculations which are allowed by this process. Birch branches serve as the material for his “log chair”. The birch bark is kept intact in certain areas and the branches are only cut back at the junctures. Despite the use of computers and series production, each object is one of a kind with its own special character. The chair produced from birch branches represents respect for nature and forms an aesthetically convincing counterpole to industrial timber, which is often so standardised that it becomes completely lifeless.

The range of materials used in contemporary jewellery is broad. Indeed, eggshells and amber, cotton and corn, electronic scrap and synthetic resin form the basis for expressive and radical pieces. This free and seemingly limitless use of materials is offset against craftsmen's techniques or shapes that are often still traditional. Kamile Staneliene from Lithuania, for example, has combined the ring pulls of standard commercial beverage cans and freshwater pearls. With its ornate playfulness, the labyrinthine fabric is reminiscent of baroque jewellery. The boundaries between seemingly worthless and precious materials then become blurred, while the functional and decorative elements can be freely exchanged. 

As in previous years, many pieces were once again submitted from the field of textiles at this year’s event. Tomer Laham, for example, not only weaves flat fabrics. Instead, he uses threads to produce self-supporting three-dimensional objects or architectures. The shapes and characteristics of his woven items can vary quite markedly from solid and dense to soft and flexible. This is all produced on conventional looms, requiring only minor adaptations. All manner of fibres are considered when selecting the base material, from natural fibres such as linen, through synthetics, all the way up to recycled materials. His “White Linen Weave” impressively highlights the potential of woven materials.

The increased interest in glass as a material is worthy of particular mention. Young designers today are on the lookout for new potential applications of this age-old material, using it both as a means of artistic expression and for practical items. Individual objects occasionally also tell their own story. Dagmar Gerke, for example, focuses on the coming together of various cultures in a series of bowls and cylinders. Her hand-blown objects have been created from bamboo and Chinese reeds. The colours used are also reminiscent of Asian models. As free artistic objects, the pieces invite viewers to seek associations, while also serving as practical and usable items. After all, dining always also involves communication, and cultures come together when sitting down for a meal together.

The focus of the competition is on work that shines through its formal and technical originality and technical perfection and is ahead of its time. The competition is being organised by the Munich and Upper Bavarian Chamber of Skilled Trades and jointly sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy and the Bavarian State Ministry for Economics and Media, Energy and Technology. „Talente“ takes place every year as a special exhibition during the Munich International Skilled Trades Fair in March.

A catalogue will be published for the special exhibition: Each artist will be presented with a colour photograph

>> The TALENTE Award will be presented on 11 March 2023 on the stage in Hall B1.

Prizes and Awards:
Talente-Prize

• Eight contributions will be awarded the TALENTE-Prize.
• Works will be acknowledged in the TALENTE-Catalogue of the following year (including photography and text).
• Distinguished exhibitors receive a certificate.

Bavarian States Prize

• Every exhibitor at the International Trade Fair can apply for the Bavarian States Prize.
• The Bavarian States Prize is awarded 5,000 Euros, a gold medal, and a certificate.

The Awards will be given on the 11th of March at 4:30 pm.


Organisation and Funding:
Promoter: GHM – Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH.
Administration: Wolfgang Lösche, Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern.
Organisation: Michaela Braesel, Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern.


We are grateful for the support provided by the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Energy, and the Bavarian State Ministry of Commerce and Media, Energy, and Technology. The publication of the catalogue is enabled by funding from the Association of Trades Fairs.