EXCLUSIVE: After K-pop and K-beauty, Could K-craft Be the Next Big Wave?
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who joined Loewe as creative directors last year, are set to preside over their first 2026 jury as part of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize’s ninth edition.
On Monday, the foundation announced 30 finalists vying for the main prize of €50,000, to be unveiled on May 12, along with two special mentions each worth €5,000.
The finalists, representing 19 countries and regions, will have their works exhibited at the National Gallery Singapore from May 13 to June 14.
Six finalists hail from South Korea, signaling that K-craft could emerge as the next notable cultural export alongside K-pop, K-beauty, and K-dramas.
The Loewe Foundation received over 5,100 submissions, which a panel of experts narrowed down to 30 finalists. The works span a wide array of media, including ceramics, wood, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewelry, and lacquer.
Entries range from sturdy wooden benches to sculptural glass forms and a hand-embroidered, beaded quilt.
According to Sheila Loewe, president of the Loewe Foundation, the shortlisted works demonstrate how deeply rooted traditions can be reimagined through innovation, craftsmanship, and imagination.
The judging panel, comprising artists, curators, and previous craft-prize contenders, evaluated entries on technical mastery, originality, and artistic vision.
Spanish art historian and journalist Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, executive secretary of the panel, noted that the 2026 finalists reflect a broad and nuanced view of contemporary craft, uniting works that push tradition forward through risk, skill, and imagination.
Here are the finalists: Baba Tree Master Weavers × Álvaro Catalán de Ocón (Spain); Jobe Burns (UK); Soohyun Chou (South Korea); Morten Løbner Espersen (Denmark); Liam Fleming (Australia); Oskar Gustafsson (Sweden); Susan Halls (UK); Gjertrud Hals (Norway); Chia-Chen Hsieh (Taiwan); Adelene Koh (Singapore); Maria Koshenkova (Denmark); Jong In Lee (South Korea); Somyeong Lee (South Korea); Misako Nakahira (Japan); Fadekemi Ogunsanya (Nigeria); Jieun Park (South Korea); Jongjin Park (South Korea); Rafael Pérez Fernández (Spain); Dorothea Prühl (Germany); Kirstie Rea (Australia); Vivi Rosa (Brazil); Hervé Sabin (Haiti); Xanthe Somers (Zimbabwe); Coco Sung (South Korea); Nobuyuki Tanaka (Japan); Graziano Visintin (Italy); Rayah Wauters (Belgium); Nan Wei (China); Jane Yang-D’Haene (USA); Ayano Yoshizumi (Japan).
The prize originated under Loewe’s former creative director Jonathan Anderson. Since its inception, the Craft Prize and accompanying exhibition have traveled worldwide, with editions previously hosted in Madrid, Tokyo, Seoul, London, and New York.
McCollough and Hernandez lead a 14-member jury that also includes architect Minsuk Cho; designer Patricia Urquiola; architect Wang Shu; potter Magdalene Odundo; writer Deyan Sudjic; Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Abraham Thomas; and Louvre art-department director Olivier Gabet.
In addition, the Loewe Foundation is launching three two-month residencies in collaboration with Belmond, the luxury hospitality group also under LVMH umbrella. Set to unfold at La Residencia, a Belmond hotel in Mallorca, the program invites selected artists to develop new work in dialogue with Spain’s rich cultural landscape—the country where Loewe was founded in 1846.
