Southern Guild is happy to confirm that Beninese artist, Dominique Zinkpè, has been named as one of the finalists in line to claim the title of LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize winner for 2023.

His piece, titled The Watchers, stands alongside 29 other shortlisted works, all of which will be on display at the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2023 exhibition that will travel to New York in the spring of 2023. A jury composed of 13 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship, including Dahye Jeong, winner of the 2022 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, will select the winner this year, also to be announced at the show.

Zinkpè’s assemblage piece features intricately detailed, wooden statuettes, carved from individual pieces of solid wood and placed within a wooden frame, crafted from an old canoe. Drawing on the Yoruba belief that twins hold special significance and powers, each figurine recalls the tradition of families creating an Ibéji doll when a twin dies in infancy to represent the soul of the deceased in physical form so it can continue to be cared for on earth. Each statuette has been finely carved with individual details, then hand-painted with washes of pink and orange, a subtle yet profound reminder of the uniqueness of every individual.

South African textile artist Jana Visser has also been selected as one of the finalists – a hugely validating outcome as both artists were included in Southern Guild’s proposal to the selection committee in its capacity as an officially appointed scout for applicants from the African continent.