LOEWE is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2023 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is Eriko Inazaki (b. 1972, Japan), awarded for her work Metanoia, 2019. Inazaki was chosen from 30 finalists by a distinguished jury composed of leading figures from the worlds of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship, including Magdalene Odundo, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, Olivier Gabet and Patricia Urquiola.


This year’s edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft prize presents a selection
of works that explore meditative, time-intensive techniques and showcase a skilful
manipulation of materials. Unexpected forms and colours feature prominently,
introducing a sense of playfulness and surprise. Each of the shortlisted works will
be exhibited in Isamu Noguchi’s Studio at The Noguchi Museum in New York from
17 May until 18 June 2023. The exhibition will also be available to view online
and will be documented through an exhibition catalogue containing each
of the finalists’ pieces.


Inazaki’s intricate ceramic sculpture was created through an accumulation of
miniscule forms that coalesce across the work’s crystallised surface. The jury
commented on Inazaki’s exceptional take on ornamentation in ceramics, the like
of which they have never seen before. The work’s virtuosity creates a spellbinding
presence that commands the exhibition space and inspires wonder.


‘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.’

Jonathan Anderson, LOEWE creative director
About the Winner:


Eriko Inazaki (b. 1972, Japan / lives in Takamatsu, Japan)
Based in Takamatsu, Japan, Eriko Inazaki graduated from Musashino Art
University, Tokyo in 1995 and completed her MA at the Kyoto City University
of Arts in 1997. Since then, she has participated in the Artist in Residence
programme at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park and exhibited in both solo
and group shows. In 2017 she received a Culture and Art Recommendation
from Kagawa Prefecture, and in 2018 was awarded both the Takashimaya Cultural
Foundation Prize and the Grand Prize at 13th Paramita Ceramic Art Grand Prize.

Special mentions:


Dominique Zinkpè (b. 1969, Benin / lives in Cotonou, Benin)
Based in Cotonou, Benin, Dominique Zinkpè is an artist working in a variety of
media, including installation, drawing, painting, sculpture and video. In 1993, Zinkpè
had his first exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Cotonou and was chosen to
represent Benin at the Grapholies exhibition in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he was
awarded the Young African Talent Award later that year. Zinkpé’s works have been
showcased on five continents and are part of many prestigious public and private
collections, including the Zinsou Foundation, Benin; Blachère Foundation, France;
Zeitz MOCAA, South Africa; and Sindika Dokolo collection, Angola.


Moe Watanabe (b. 1996, Japan / lives in Tokyo, Japan)
Based in Tokyo, Moe Watanabe travels out to the Tohoku region where she
studied to collect materials to create her natural, plant-based works. Working
primarily in wood, most of Wantanabe’s works are made of wild Akebia quinata
and Japanese walnut tree bark, foraged by herself. These are then carved, woven
and reworked through methods based on traditional Japanese weaving
techniques to create a contemporary design concept and aesthetic.