“The most compelling objects do not hide the process. They reveal what happens when materials take the lead.”
Take Away
South Korean artist Jongjin Park created Strata of Illusion from thousands of paper sheets coated in coloured porcelain slip. During firing, the paper burns away, while heat and gravity reshape the ceramic layers. The work won the 2026 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize.
Park carefully sets up the process but does not control every detail. The kiln becomes part of the making, leaving the finished piece marked by both the artist’s skill and the material’s response.
The Sign
What Is It?
Strata of Illusion is a work by South Korean artist Jongjin Park that explores the boundaries between ceramics, sculpture, and furniture. Its seat-like shape invites viewers to think of a familiar object in an unfamiliar way.
The work was created in 2025 and won the 2026 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize. It was presented alongside the other finalists at the National Gallery Singapore from 13 May to 14 June 2026.
Why Is It Cool?
The work is compelling because it balances precision with surprise. Park builds thousands of layers by hand, but he cannot fully predict how they will move in the kiln. Instead of hiding these changes, he lets them define the final form.
Its chair-like shape suggests comfort, yet its rough, uneven surface makes it unlike ordinary furniture. The contrast invites us to look more closely at how it was made.
Here, craftsmanship is not about making every detail perfect. It is about knowing when to guide a material and when to let it respond in its own way.
Why Does It Have Future Growth Potential?
Park’s work reflects a wider opportunity for contemporary craft. Designers and collectors may value objects that show how they were made, with layers, marks and irregular forms that reveal the process instead of hiding it.
One artwork cannot prove a market trend. Still, Strata of Illusion shows how luxury can embrace controlled uncertainty: skilled making, a clear creative vision and room for materials to shape the result.
The most distinctive objects may not be the most polished. They may be the ones that could only come from a particular maker, material and process.
Strata of Illusion brings skill and uncertainty together. It shows that an artist’s control can be powerful precisely because it leaves room for the unexpected.
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