Crafting Boundaries: Celebrating Loewe 2024 Craft Prize Winners
Focusing on the pioneering designs at the Loewe 2024 Craft Prize where craft and art marry to create masterpieces in design. By Nikitha Sunil Vallikad
The Loewe Craft Prize, established in 2016 by the Loewe Foundation celebrates the importance of craftsmanship in contemporary culture. Each year, the prize honours outstanding works that combine artistic vision and exceptional craftsmanship. The 2024 edition brought forward a remarkable array of talent, with Andres Anza winning the top honour for his piece “I Only Know What I Have Seen.” Special mentions were awarded to Heechan Kim for “#16,” Emmanuel Boss for “Coffee Table,” and Miki Asai for “Still Life”, highlighting their innovative approaches and artistic achievements.
SCALE had the privilege of engaging directly with a few of these distinguished designers and artists. They generously shared exclusive insights into their creative processes, offering a deeper understanding of their work and the impact of this prestigious recognition.
Embodying Nature: Andres Anza’s “I Only Know What I Have Seen”
Andres Anza’s winning piece at the Loewe Craft Prize, “I Only Know What I Have Seen,” challenges viewers’ perceptions of nature and existence by creating an entirely new organism. “This piece summarises my entire line of work very well,” Anza explains. “It is the result of seeking to create a new living organism that reminds us of something in nature but that we cannot name because it does not exist, sparking curiosity and a sense of familiarity in the viewer.”
Anza’s commitment to blurring the lines between art and craft is evident in his choice of clay as the primary medium. The hollow structure, with an internal framework made from the same clay, symbolises the hidden depths and complexities of existence. “For me, it is important to use this material as an artistic medium because I see my work as something very artisanal,” he says.
The internal structure, which is not visible to the viewer, represents the unseen aspects of the organism, inviting viewers to engage with the piece as they would with a new acquaintance — curious, cautious, yet intrigued.
The title “I Only Know What I Have Seen” reflects this theme, emphasising the idea that we can only know what is revealed to us. Anza elaborates, “My work seeks to create a new relationship between the viewer and this new being in front of them. It seems familiar, but you start discovering that it is not.”
Anza’s work is deeply rooted in Mexican craftsmanship, with a focus on manual labour, repetition, and vibrant colours. “For me, it is important that art and crafts coexist, erasing the line that divides them, because they need each other,” he states. One of the most memorable comments Anza received about his work was its timeless quality. This feedback has inspired him to further integrate this concept into his future projects.
Looking ahead, Anza is excited about exploring new themes and materials. He is preparing for several individual and group exhibitions and is particularly intrigued by the idea of creating pieces with an internal artistic element that is not immediately visible. “I am excited about an old idea of making two pieces in one, working on the inside with the spikes, but leaving the part on the outside smooth, so that the viewer discovers that the art is inside and not just on the surface,” he reveals.
Opening the Unknown: Heechan Kim’s “#16”
Heechan Kim’s “#16,” which received a special mention at the Loewe 2024 Craft Prize, showcases the beauty and significance of handcrafted art in an era dominated by digital fabrication. “#16” embodies Kim’s ongoing quest to find meaning in the act of making.
“We live in a world where literally everything can be 3D printed,” says Kim. “It made me wonder what’s the meaning of hand-making, the act of making.”
The piece is crafted from wood, reflecting Kim’s dedication to collaborating with materials that guide the creative process. “Wood is a living material. It breathes and moves with the environment,” explains Kim. By soaking the wood in water and bending it with a hot iron, he respects the material’s natural tendencies, allowing it to dictate its final form. This delicate balance of force and cooperation results in a piece that is both organic and structured.
Kim’s approach to crafting “#16” begins without a specific shape in mind. He starts at one point, letting the piece evolve organically and intuitively. “I want my object to be a conceptual container or vessel because I see these objects as an extension of my body,” he shares. The concept of an opening, which Kim views as a door to the unknown, is central to his work. “Opening is where the tension between exterior and interior lies. It’s where fear coexists with curiosity and where a deep connection is created.”
Kim believes that making by hand is a way to restore intimate relationships with nature, a theme he plans to continue exploring in his future projects.
Art Meets Function: Emmanuel Boos’ “Coffee Table”
Emmanuel Boos’ “Coffee Table,” awarded a special mention at the Loewe 2024 Craft Prize, seamlessly blends functionality with artistic expression. Boos, a ceramic artist with a profound passion for glazes, emphasises their poetic capacity to evoke emotions. “Because glaze is the centre of my interest, the form is kept minimalistic,” he explains. The table, constructed from 98 hollow glazed porcelain bricks, is designed for portability and transformability, emphasizing mobility and flexibility in design.
Drawing inspiration from the humble brick, Boos integrates this fundamental building block of ceramics and architecture into his work. “The brick is an important element of ceramic history,” he notes, referencing the rural brick kilns in Tamil Nadu and iconic buildings like the Bangladeshi National Assembly by Louis Kahn. “In the field of art, however, bricks are often frowned upon, scorned, and discarded,” Boos adds, acknowledging the ambivalence and ambiguity that intrigue him.
For Boos, ceramics exist at the intersection of many practices: crafts, architecture, industry, design, and art. “I wish to embrace this diversity and reflect the ambiguity and tensions it leads to,” he states. His practice over the last two years has involved creating works with glazed porcelain bricks, many of which are sculptural. However, the “Coffee Table” is also functional. Boos emphasizes the importance of portability and the ability to change and transform the piece.
“It’s nomadic. It’s open. It’s a game. So it was out of the question to cement or glue the bricks together,” he explains. This approach aligns with his belief in keeping ceramic elements mobile, allowing for reconfiguration and interaction, which he views as an ethical consideration that alters perception.
Boos’ attention to detail and material choice is evident in “Coffee Table.” He works with porcelain, slip-casting it in plaster moulds.
“It seems simple, but this is actually extremely tricky as porcelain bears the memory of processes,” he explains. He polishes the cast before the bisque firing, giving the brick a smoothness and well-defined edges crucial for the glaze. The final element is the glaze itself, in this case, a Tenmoku glaze.
“It is a black-brown glaze with a high iron content and edges noticeably lighter, almost yellow,” Boos describes. Originating in China under the Tang dynasty, the glaze’s name reflects the enthusiasm of Japanese tea ceremony masters. The materials and firing protocol are essential to achieving the glaze’s depth and attractiveness, highlighting Boos’ meticulous craftsmanship and artistic vision.
Capturing Ephemeral Beauty: Miki Asai’s “Still Life”
Miki Asai’s “Still Life,” honoured with a special mention at the Loewe 2024 Craft Prize, delicately explores the themes of impermanence and transience. Asai draws inspiration from intangible and fleeting phenomena such as the colour of the sky and the interplay of light and shadow. “My jewellery is inspired by intangible and fleeting phenomena like the color of the sky and light and shadow,” she explains. Her work captures these ephemeral moments, preserving their beauty in intricate, handcrafted pieces.
Asai’s use of traditional Japanese techniques and materials, such as lacquer and pearls, adds depth to her exploration of fleeting beauty. “The soft and organic forms, fading colour, and iridescent surfaces express my feelings about transience,” she says. This connection to Japanese aesthetics, which finds beauty in impermanence, imperfection, and ephemerality, is central to her work. Her creative process involves capturing and preserving momentary beauty, allowing individuals to own fragments of a fleeting world. Asai’s designs incorporate the cracking effect of eggshells, the iridescent surface of pearls, and the surprising lightness of paper, all of which symbolize the transient nature of life. These elements are combined with traditional techniques and materials like Japanese lacquer and pigments, used in unique ways to convey her vision.
Asai hopes her work encourages viewers to appreciate the beauty in everyday moments and the transient nature of life.
“From my perspective, ‘still life’ is a preserved moment of daily life, which doesn’t look very special yet is very precious. I want to capture these moments and preserve them as jewellery to cherish in my hands,” she explains.
Crafting the Future
The Loewe 2024 Craft Prize underscores the evolving relationship between tradition and innovation in contemporary craftsmanship. The winning works by Andres Anza, Heechan Kim, Emmanuel Boss, and Miki Asai exemplify a profound engagement with materials and artistic processes. These pieces prompt us to rethink the boundaries between art and craft, fostering a dialogue about the relevance and impact of handmade art in today’s digital age. As we look forward to future editions, the influence of these pioneering creations will undoubtedly inspire and shape the craft community.
