Contemporary CRAFT
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.
Chimera is more than just a collection of sculptures, it’s a reflection of Racso Jugarap‘s journey, both as an artist and as a person. The title, inspired by the mythical creature made of different parts, speaks to living many different lives before finding his path in art. Each piece combines techniques from his past series, symbolizing how those experiences, no matter how different, come together to shape who we are.
The playful combination of techniques from his previous works, fluid lines from “Aurora,” bold organic shapes from “Romela,” and textured details from “Echinoid”, reflects how these different chapters of his journey have come together.
The delicate, almost fragile forms of “Chimera” show resilience too, standing strong despite their intricate, complex nature. Like Racso’s own story, it’s a reminder that we can grow, adapt, and thrive, no matter where we start or how winding the road may be. This series is about transformation, embracing your many sides, and finding beauty in the journey.
© Racso Jugarap, “Echinoid”, 2023
Pichla Darwaza is part of the series 33 Link Road, named after the artist’s ancestral home. Built by her refugee grandparents after India’s partition, this home once thrived as a hub of family life, hosting gatherings, stories, weddings, births, and deaths. Now, for the first time in 72 years, it stands empty and deteriorating. In this work, fragile threads replace brick and mortar, weaving the solidity of architecture into delicate webs of memory. Rendered at life-size, its porous skins challenge the permanence of both the structure and the concept of ‘home.’
Sumakshi Singh’s installations explore structural and geographical tension, reconstructing domestic architectures as fragile containers of loss, nostalgia, and inherited silence. Rooted in the intimate processes of drawing and embroidery, her works engage narratives from inner landscapes — of personal memory, metaphysical and emotive experience.
© Sumakshi Singh, “Pichla Darwaza”, 2023
Shēng Dòng is an ongoing installation project by artist Huang Wanbing, exploring the vitality of materials and the silent breath of existence. At its core is Xiabu—a handwoven textile made from ramie, rooted in traditional craftsmanship and recognized as part of China’s intangible heritage.
Huang transforms this ancient fiber into spatial rhythms, suspended tensions, and woven cosmologies. Influenced by Daoist philosophy and classical Chinese cosmograms such as the I Ching, Hetu, and Luoshu, her work navigates the interplay between visible form and invisible flow.
Each thread embodies ancestral echoes, cycles of erosion and regeneration, and the quiet strength of non-industrial time. “Shēng Dòng” positions craft not as nostalgia, but as a contemporary mode of thinking—bridging ecological awareness, cultural memory, and spiritual balance.
© Wanbing Huang, “鸿蒙｜Hong Meng – The Primordial Mist”, 2024
