LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2018 at The Design Museum London

Artist list

ARKO, Paul Adie, Yeonsoon Chang, Min Chen, Hae Cho Chung, Steffen Dam, Sam Tho Duong, Sara Gakowska, Joe Hogan, Marie Janssen, Joonyong Kim, Christopher Kurtz, Takuro Kuwata, Deirdre McLoughlin, Richard McVetis, Simone Pheulpin, Irina Razumovskaya, Aneta Regel, Ryuhei Sako, Rita Soto, Laurenz Stockner, Wycliffe Stutchbury, Mercedes Vicente, Julian Watts, Ashley YK Yeo, Takeshi Yasuda, Shohei Yokoyama, Ann van Hoey, Gunilla Maria Åkesson

Aiming to acknowledge the importance of craft in today’s culture and recognise artisans whose talent, vision and will to innovate will set a standard for the future; LOEWE Creative Director Jonathan Anderson conceived the initiative inspired by LOEWE’s beginnings as a craft cooperative in 1846. Featuring the nominees of the 2018 edition, this exhibition seeks to reflect the merits of modern craftsmanship. The imagination, diversity, and techniques on display will attest to the crucial role artisans have in the ongoing construction of cultural heritage.

For the 2018 edition, a panel of 11 experts convened in Madrid for two days to review all presented works and select the shortlist. In their deliberations, the panel sought to identify the most outstanding works in terms of technical accomplishment, innovation and artistic vision.

Regarding the selection process, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, Executive Secretary of the LOEWE Craft Prize Experts Panel, stated: This year the judging was harder than prior years, with the standard of applicants impressively high across every category. Our chosen works reflect an almost alchemical manipulation of each medium’s possibilities and reward those who have mastered traditional skills in order to transform them for the contemporary age. The selected finalists - who range in age from 27 to 76 - are a multigenerational snapshot of the utmost excellence in craft today.