On May 29, the Madrid-based Loewe Foundation named Japanese artist Kunimasa Aoki as the winner of its 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Now in its eighth year, the accolade celebrates creative innovations in contemporary craft across various disciplines, including ceramics, jewelry, textiles, and woodwork. 

Aoki received the prestigious EUR 50,000 (USD 57,070) award for his slate gray terracotta sculpture Realm of Living Things 19 (2024). For this piece, Aoki compressed layers of clay into an anamorphic structure to capture the material’s physical transformation through gravity and time.  

A jury of international experts in design, architecture, and curation selected Aoki out of 30 finalists, praising his winning work for its “honest expression of the ancestral coil process.” The jury further noted that “the element of risk in the firing process is a testimony to the tenacity and commitment it takes to make a sculpture such as this.” 

Along with this top prize, two special mentions were awarded to Nigerian designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello and Indian artist Sumakshi Singh, respectively. 

All finalists’ works are currently on view at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid until June 29. 

Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.