Since its inception, Asia NOW has championed craft as a vital thread between tradition and contemporary expression. This year spotlights three artists who have been finalists in different editions of the LOEWE Craft Prize.

In collaboration with the Paris Asian Art Fair (ASIA NOW), the RAK Art Foundation has launched the RAK Art Foundation Prize, an award celebrating two artists whose practices connect cultural heritage with contemporary creation. The prize aims to foster dialogue between global contemporary art and the living traditions of craftsmanship, encouraging artists to explore new ways of thinking through making. Through this partnership, the RAK Art Foundation and ASIA NOW reaffirm their shared commitment to supporting artists who engage critically with identity, craft, and cultural exchange. The award grants each winner a one-month residency at The Art Station, a creative and cultural art space in the heart of Muharraq Souq, where they will collaborate with local artisans to create new works inspired by the Foundation’s values of heritage, continuity, and craft. The residency underscores the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing artistic practices that bridge tradition and innovation — inviting dialogue between contemporary artists and Bahraini craftsmanship.

The RAK Art Foundation Prize was awarded to Nomin Zezegmaa and Meher Afroz, whose art reflects cultural memory, material knowledge, and the links across artistic communities. Nomin Zezegmaa (b. 1992, Ulaanbaatar) — presented by NIKA Project Space — works across The Netherlands, Mongolia, and Germany. Her multidisciplinary practice draws on Mongol cosmogony, exploring history, materiality, and spirituality through ritual and gesture, connecting body, spirit, land, and renewal. During her Bahrain residency, she will engage with local artisans, weaving her Mongolian heritage into Bahraini craft traditions, celebrating kinship across differences. Meher Afroz (b. Lucknow, India; based in Karachi, Pakistan) — presented by O Art Space — is a master painter and printmaker with over fifty years exploring identity, time, and belonging. Her work emphasizes reflection, resilience, and repair, fostering contemplation and connection. In Bahrain, she aims to create shared spiritual and cultural experiences, inspiring new generations through her exploration of memory and creation. Zezegmaa and Afroz embody the prize’s spirit—honoring tradition as a living dialogue between heritage and imagination.

Commenting on the prize, Rashid Al Khalifa, Founder of the RAK Art Foundation, said: “This initiative reflects our belief that meaningful art emerges when artists engage deeply with the spirit of place — with its traditions, its makers, and its stories. By connecting international artists with Bahraini artisans, we hope to nurture a space of exchange that celebrates continuity while embracing experimentation. Both Nomin and Meher embody that vision beautifully — their practices remind us that heritage is not something we preserve in stillness, but something we keep alive through dialogue, imagination, and care.”