Winner of the Grand Prize at the World’s Most Prestigious “Loewe Foundation Craft Prize” / Park Jong-jin (Class of 2000, Department of Ceramic Art)
- 26.05.20 / 홍유민
Park Jong-jin, a graduate of the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University (currently an assistant professor at Seoul Women’s University), has been selected as the 2026 winner of the “LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize,” widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the contemporary craft world. The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is a prestigious platform where thousands of artists from over 100 countries around the world apply each year to explore “innovation in tradition.” Through his masterpiece “Strata of Illusion,” alumnus Park Jong-jin resonated deeply with the global jury and collectors.
The winning work, “Strata of Illusion,” is created by layering and compressing ceramic slip mixed with pigments, then allowing it to naturally warp under the influence of heat and gravity inside the kiln. The accidental sculptural beauty that emerged from the irreversible process of firing, along with the deep visual immersion that feels like encountering the strata of time, has been praised for faithfully reinterpreting the grammar of traditional ceramics within a completely new context.
This award is the fruit of his long-standing, steadfast exploration and earnest challenges. Having steadily built his artistic vision while completing his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University, Park has researched the collision of physical properties when different materials meet. His sculptural language has consistently been recognized for its potential on various international stages, including the Excellence Award at the “2024 Yeoju Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale International Competition,” and has finally led to this global honor.
Alumnus Park Jong-jin’s award holds significant meaning in that it demonstrates that Korean ceramics—which had previously been viewed through a somewhat limited lens—can communicate on the world stage through a unique language that embodies its inherent value. Furthermore, while contributing to expanding the potential of Korean crafts on the global stage, this achievement has also served as an opportunity to reflect on the substantive educational curriculum of Kookmin University’s Department of Ceramic Art. We look forward with great anticipation to the profound strides the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University—which has cherished traditional values while preparing for future innovation—will take in the years to come.
△ Award-winning work: “Strata of Illusion”
△ Park Jong-jin (Class of 2000, Department of Ceramic Art)
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Winner of the Grand Prize at the World’s Most Prestigious “Loewe Foundation Craft Prize” / Park Jong-jin (Class of 2000, Department of Ceramic Art) |
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2026-05-20
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Park Jong-jin, a graduate of the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University (currently an assistant professor at Seoul Women’s University), has been selected as the 2026 winner of the “LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize,” widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the contemporary craft world. The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is a prestigious platform where thousands of artists from over 100 countries around the world apply each year to explore “innovation in tradition.” Through his masterpiece “Strata of Illusion,” alumnus Park Jong-jin resonated deeply with the global jury and collectors. The winning work, “Strata of Illusion,” is created by layering and compressing ceramic slip mixed with pigments, then allowing it to naturally warp under the influence of heat and gravity inside the kiln. The accidental sculptural beauty that emerged from the irreversible process of firing, along with the deep visual immersion that feels like encountering the strata of time, has been praised for faithfully reinterpreting the grammar of traditional ceramics within a completely new context. This award is the fruit of his long-standing, steadfast exploration and earnest challenges. Having steadily built his artistic vision while completing his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University, Park has researched the collision of physical properties when different materials meet. His sculptural language has consistently been recognized for its potential on various international stages, including the Excellence Award at the “2024 Yeoju Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale International Competition,” and has finally led to this global honor. Alumnus Park Jong-jin’s award holds significant meaning in that it demonstrates that Korean ceramics—which had previously been viewed through a somewhat limited lens—can communicate on the world stage through a unique language that embodies its inherent value. Furthermore, while contributing to expanding the potential of Korean crafts on the global stage, this achievement has also served as an opportunity to reflect on the substantive educational curriculum of Kookmin University’s Department of Ceramic Art. We look forward with great anticipation to the profound strides the Department of Ceramic Art at Kookmin University—which has cherished traditional values while preparing for future innovation—will take in the years to come.
△ Award-winning work: “Strata of Illusion”
△ Park Jong-jin (Class of 2000, Department of Ceramic Art)
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