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Heechan Kim, “#16,” ash wood, copper wire. All images courtesy of Loewe Craft Prize, shared with permission

Found and Natural Materials Prevail in This Year’s Shortlist for the Loewe Craft Prize

Grace Ebert

The prestigious Loewe Craft Prize announced 30 finalists for its 2024 competition, showcasing an impressive array of pieces spanning ceramics and glass to textiles and metals.

A focus on found and natural materials dominates this year’s shortlist, and many of the works celebrate the beauty of the natural world in both subject matter and substance. Heechan Kim pushes the boundaries of woodworking with “#16,” a voluptuous sculpture made of water-soaked ash strips stitched together with copper wire. Eunmi Chun’s elegant “Wings of the Blue Bird” takes a more carnal approach and is comprised of dried and cut cow intestine that masquerades as blue feathers.

a long necklace of blue, green, and purple feathers
Eunmi Chun, “Wings of the Blue Bird,” cow’s small intestine, thread, ink

The prize garnered 3,900 submissions from artisans in 124 countries and regions. On May 14, one winner will be awarded €50,000, also marking the opening of an exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris running through June 9. (via Artsy)

a tapestry of clay beads with checks and gray stripes down the center
Ozioma Onuzulike, “Embroidered Royal Jumper for Peter Obi,” clay, ash glaze, recycled glass, engobe, copper wire
an ochre and beige coiled sculpture
Ferne Jacobs, “Origins,” coiled and twined waxed linen thread
a vessel with a lid made of red, black, and beige stripes with black spines
Jeremy Frey, “Symphony in Ash,” black ash, sweet grass, synthetic dye
a towering ceramic sculpture with spikes
Andrés Anza, “I only know what I have seen,” ceramic
a tessellated green paper sculpture that twists upward
Luis Santos Montes, “Cristalización Orgánica Esmeralda,” paper, MTC, inks

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