Delhi-based textile artist becomes only second Indian ever shortlisted for international craft award
Studio Sumakshi Singh has been awarded a special mention at the prestigious LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2025, making her only the second Indian artist ever to be shortlisted for the international award in its nine-year history.
Singh’s winning work, “Monument,” is a life-size reinterpretation of a historic column from Delhi’s 12th-century Qutab Minar complex, crafted entirely from copper zari and nylon thread. Using traditional Indian embroidery, braiding, and lacemaking techniques, the artist transformed the three-dimensional architectural element into a delicate, two-dimensional textile that appears to hover weightlessly.
The innovative piece was created by threading copper zari onto water-soluble fabric, which is then dissolved, leaving behind only an intricate membrane—what Singh describes as “a meditation on memory, disintegration, and what it means to preserve the past.”
Selected from over 4,500 global entries, Singh’s achievement is particularly significant for Indian representation in international craft circles. The first Indian artist to reach the finals was Maina Devi in 2023 for her hand-knotted carpet “Lehrata-Khet.”
A Personal Journey Through Craft
Speaking after the announcement, Singh expressed deep gratitude for the recognition, particularly acknowledging the women in her family who influenced her craft practice. “My deepest thanks to the women in my family, my mother and my grandmother who are no longer with us but have left behind this enduring love for slow and patient craft in my heart,” she said.
The Delhi-based artist, who holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, has built an international reputation through her exploration of materiality, temporality, and the interplay between physical and ephemeral spaces.
International Recognition for Indian Craft Traditions
Michelle Fisher, Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, praised Singh’s work as an embodiment of “the connection between architecture and the longevity of ideas,” noting how the piece serves as “an allegory for the gradual disintegration of images.”
Singh’s practice, rooted in what she calls “intimate processes of drawing and embroidery,” has been exhibited across Australia, India, the UK, China, the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Serbia, and Switzerland. Notable venues include the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Kochi Biennale, and the MAXXI Museum in Rome.
The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, launched in 2016, offers a €50,000 award for the winning entry and aims to celebrate working artists whose innovation promises to set new standards for the future of craft. This year’s winner was Kunimasa Aoki for “Realm of Living Things 19, 2024,” with Singh sharing the special mention honor with Nifemi Marcus-Bello.
Works by this year’s finalists are currently on display at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid through June 29, marking a significant moment for Indian craft on the global stage.
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