Genta Ishizuka was named as the 2019 winner of the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize at a ceremony in Tokyo today.
This is the third edition of the prize—a passion project for LOEWE‘s Jonathan Anderson—supporting international talents creating in a variety of fields including ceramics, jewelry, textile, woodwork, glass, metalwork, lacquer, furniture, papercraft, and more. “Craft is the essence of LOEWE. As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word.That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant,” said Anderson.
The winning selection was chosen by a jury including names like Patricia Urquiola, Wang Shu, Jennifer Lee, and others. The group of experts also named two special mentions: Harry Morgan for “Untitled” from Dichotomy Series (2018) and Kazuhito Takadoi for KADO (Angle) (2018).
The artist received a trophy and cash prize of 50,000 euros. Within the Isamu Noguchi stone garden Heaven at the Sogetsu Kaikan, Ishizuka’s winning piece Surface Tactility #11 is exhibited alongside the work of the 28 other finalists (on view through July 22).
“Ishizuka’s work proves that craft can be open and shows the freedom of creation. His use of an ancient lacquer technique in a contemporary form breaks conventions and represents a new sculptural vision in craft,” said Anderson.