Two Australian makers have been named finalists in the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, with Liam Fleming and Kirstie Rea earning spots on the global shortlist.
The pair are among 30 finalists selected from more than 5,100 submissions spanning 133 countries and regions. All finalists' works will be exhibited at the National Gallery Singapore from May 13 to June 14, with the winner and two special mentions to be announced on May 12.
Fleming and Rea represent Australia in a diverse cohort spanning 19 countries and multiple craft disciplines, including ceramics, textiles, glass, metal, jewellery and furniture. Both Fleming and Rea are disciplined in the glass-blowing and shaping space.
The 2026 edition marks the first time Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, creative directors of Loewe, will sit on the jury. They will be joined by leading figures from the worlds of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship. The winner will be awarded €50,000, with the special mentions each receiving €5,000.
“The Craft Prize continues to reveal the extraordinary diversity and ambition of contemporary craft,” Loewe Foundation president Sheila Loewe said. “The works shortlisted for the 2026 edition demonstrate how deeply rooted traditions can be reimagined through innovation, skill and imagination.
“Bringing this exhibition to Singapore reflects the global dialogue at the heart of the Prize and our ongoing commitment to supporting artists at pivotal moments in their careers.”
The annual prize was launched in 2016 by Loewe’s philanthropic arm as a tribute to the brand’s origins as a craft collective founded in 1846.
Separately, the foundation has announced a new residency initiative in partnership with Belmond, offering alumni two-month residencies in Mallorca aimed at supporting continued artistic development.
See full list of finalists below, in alphabetical order
- Baba Tree Master Weavers × Álvaro Catalán de Ocón (Spain)
- Jobe Burns (United Kingdom)
- Soohyun Chou (Republic of Korea)
- Morten Løbner Espersen (Denmark)
- Liam Fleming (Australia)
- Oskar Gustafsson (Sweden)
- Susan Halls (United Kingdom)
- Gjertrud Hals (Norway)
- Chia-Chen Hsieh (Taiwan Region)
- Adelene Koh (Singapore)
- Maria Koshenkova (Denmark)
- Jong In Lee (Republic of Korea)
- Somyeong Lee (Republic of Korea)
- Misako Nakahira (Japan)
- Fadekemi Ogunsanya (Nigeria)
- Jieun Park (Republic of Korea)
- Jongjin Park (Republic of Korea)
- Rafael Pérez Fernández (Spain)
- Dorothea Prühl (Germany)
- Kirstie Rea (Australia)
- Vivi Rosa (Brazil)
- Hervé Sabin (Haiti)
- Xanthe Somers (Zimbabwe)
- Coco Sung (Republic of Korea)
- Nobuyuki Tanaka (Japan)
- Graziano Visintin (Italy)
- Rayah Wauters (Belgium)
- Nan Wei (China)
- Jane Yang-D’Haene (United States of America)
- Ayano Yoshizumi (Japan)