Ceramicist Andrés Anza Was Awarded the Top Prize, With the Jury Also Selecting Three Special Mentions
The Loewe Foundation has announced that the winner of the 2024 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize is Andrés Anza, recognized for his work “I Only Know What I Have Seen.” Anza was selected from 30 finalists by a distinguished jury comprising leading figures in design, architecture, journalism, criticism, and museum curatorship, including Magdalene Odundo, Minsuk Cho, Olivier Gabet, and Abraham Thomas.
This year’s edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize showcases works featuring organic and biomorphic forms, pushing materials to their physical limits. Many pieces repurpose found or recycled materials, emphasizing the transformation and elevation of everyday objects. All 30 shortlisted works will be exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris from May 15 to June 9, 2024. The exhibition will also be accessible online and documented in an exhibition catalog.
Anza’s life-size ceramic sculpture, “I Only Know What I Have Seen,” commands an almost human presence in the exhibition. Its anthropomorphic form, both figurative and abstract, is intricately constructed with thousands of individual ceramic protrusions. These tiny spikes form five puzzle pieces assembled with architectural precision.
The jury noted that Anza’s work transcends time and cultural context, drawing on ancient, archaeological forms while incorporating a post-digital aesthetic that reflects contemporary influences.
The jury also awarded three special mentions:
Miki Asai (b. 1988, Japan) for “Still Life” (2023), composed of three sculptural rings topped with meticulously crafted miniature vessels. The jury praised Asai’s unexpected blend of intricacy and monumentality and her mastery of lacquer and eggshell techniques.
Emmanuel Boos (b. 1969, France) for “Coffee Table ‘Comme un lego’” (2023), made from 98 hollow porcelain bricks. The jury admired the table’s playful construction, skill, and precision, noting its subtle disruption of expectations around utilitarian objects.
Heechan Kim (b. 1982, Republic of Korea) for “#16” (2023), a large sculptural vessel. Kim was recognized for creating a new language in contemporary geometry and architectural design, using a traditional boat-making technique with ash and copper wire to craft a form that invites viewers to explore its inner and outer spaces.
The 30 finalists, selected in February 2024 by a panel of experts, represent a variety of mediums including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, leather, glass, metal, jewelry, and lacquer. They hail from 16 countries and regions worldwide, chosen from over 3,900 submissions by artisans from 124 countries and regions.
The annual prize, launched by the Loewe Foundation in 2016, celebrates excellence, artistic merit, and innovation in modern craftsmanship. Conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson, the award acknowledges the importance of craft in today’s culture and recognizes artists whose talent, vision, and drive to innovate promise to set new standards for the future. The prize honors Loewe’s origins as a collective craft workshop in 1846
