Jongjin Park Wins the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
2 min readCraft has been woven into the fabric of Loewe since the house’s founding, a commitment only deepened by the launch of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016. One decade later, Loewe has named Korean artist Jongjin Park the winner of the 2026 edition for his work “Strata of Illusion.”
Park’s work takes the form of a partially collapsed, seat-like sculpture that he crafted through an exacting process. The ceramicist saturated thousands of sheets of paper in colored porcelain and fired them at extreme temperatures to reveal the final warped shell. Park was chosen by an esteemed jury featuring Frida Escobedo, Patricia Urquiola, Abraham Thomas, Olivier Gabet, and, for the first time, Loewe creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who all lauded the artist’s innovation.
Park’s “Strata of Illusion.”
The jury also awarded two special mention honors to Álvaro Catalán de Ocón’s collaboration with the Ghanaian collective Baba Tree Master Weavers, “Frafra Tapestry,” and Graziano Visintin’s “Collier.” Park earned €50,000 ($58,679) while Catalán de Ocón and Visintin received €5,000 ($5,868) each.
The jury narrowed down this year’s honorees from a group of 30 finalists, representing 19 countries, which were announced in February.
Catalán de Ocón’s and Baba Tree Master Weavers’ “Frafra Tapestry.”
Visintin’s “Collier.”
“It has been a privilege to join the jury of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize,” McCollough and Hernandez said in a joint statement. “Craft has been at the heart of Loewe since the House was founded 180 years ago. Across each of the shortlisted works, we encountered an extraordinary sense of commitment, creativity, and innovation. Together, they stand as a powerful testament to the enduring possibilities of making.”
Park’s “Strata of Illusion” and the works of the special mention honorees and finalists are on display at the National Gallery Singapore from May 13 to June 14, 2026.
A view from the National Gallery Singapore.