The winner of the 2025 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, receiving €50,000, is Kunimasa Aoki for his work “Realm of Living Things 19,” alongside notable special mentions.
The LOEWE FOUNDATION has revealed the winner of its 2025 Craft Prize, awarding Japanese sculptor Kunimasa Aoki €50,000 for his compelling terracotta sculpture, Realm of Living Things 19. Selected by a jury featuring acclaimed architects, designers, and curators including Patricia Urquiola, Wang Shu, and Olivier Gabet of the Louvre Museum, Aoki’s work stood out for its intricate exploration of clay’s physical possibilities. His technique, rooted in stacking and compressing terracotta coils that crack and distort through kiln smoking, offers a contemporary homage to ancestral ceramic practices.
Two special mentions were also awarded, recognizing the innovative contributions of Nigerian designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello and India’s Studio Sumakshi Singh. Marcus-Bello’s piece, TM Bench with Bowl, crafted from reclaimed automotive aluminum, delivers a striking yet refined critique on global trade and consumerism through clean geometric forms. Meanwhile, Studio Sumakshi Singh earned recognition for their delicate textile sculpture, Monument, a life-size copper zari thread reinterpretation of a 12th-century column from Delhi. The jury praised its poetic strength and fragile presence as a testament to cultural memory and resilience.
The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize was launched in 2016, rooted in LOEWE’s historic origins as a craft workshop dating back to 1846. The prize celebrates innovative modern craftsmanship and is part of LOEWE’s ongoing commitment to supporting contemporary art and design. This year’s shortlisted works, selected from over 4,600 international entries, will be exhibited from May 30 to June 29, 2025, at Madrid’s renowned Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, offering visitors an expansive view of craftsmanship’s evolving role in contemporary culture.
