Loewe Announces the Loewe Craft Prize 2018 Winner
Launched in 2016, the annual Loewe Craft Prize seeks to reward artisans with a flair for creating contemporary objects of superior aesthetic value using their mastery of traditional skills.
For the 2018 edition, Scottish ceramist Jennifer Lee has been picked by the Prize's jury as the winner with her entry, Pale, shadowed speckled traces, fading elipse, bronze specks, tilted shelf.
A graduate of both Edinburgh and the Royal College of Art, the London-based artist used traditional techniques of pinching and coiling to mix bands of oxidised pigments into stoneware clay. The resulting work, which appears to capture a moment of frozen time, was commended by the jury for its classicism.
"Jennifer Lee for me is a landmark in form," said Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, who was also in the panel of experts that concluded this year's Loewe Craft Prize.
Lee has been awarded a cash prize of 50,000 euros, which she intends to use to extend her studio space.
The announcement was made at the opening of the Loewe Craft Prize 2018 special exhibition at the Design Museum in London. The shortlisted works of all 30 finalists will be on display at the exhibition from 4 May to 17 June 2018. Below are some highlights.
"'Croissance XL' (XL Growth)", cotton fabric and pins, 900 x 900 x 100 mm (2017) by Simone Pheulpin, France
Using densely wrapped cotton strips reclaimed from Vosges car tires, Simone Pheulpin created a sculptural piece that transforms the humble cloth into something akin to a prehistoric fossil. "She is redefining what we think of as textiles," said the jury. "She has elevated humble recycled materials into something truly remarkable."
"Tea Bowl", porcelain, glaze, pigment, platinum and steel, 380 x 380 x 400 mm (2017) by Takuro Kuwata, Japan
Made from a combination of contrasting materials — porcelain, platinum and steel — this textured tea bowl by Japanese potter Takuro Kuwata was admired for its energy and self-expression. "He transgresses the typical tradition of ceramics while pointing a new way forward," said the jury.
"Arbitrary Metrics II", hand cut paper, dimensions variable (2015) by Ashley YK Yeo, Singapore
Noted for being the first Singaporean finalist of the Loewe Craft Prize, LASALLE graduate Ashley Yk Yeo presented an ethereal work meticulously cut from exquisitely engraved paper. The filigree, which is usually made with precious metals, is almost inperceptible — a statement on what remains less visible in the human condition.
