Judges

Ceramics Design Category

Ishizaki Yasuyuki

Japan

Director of Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu

Area of Expertise : Theory of Ceramics and Ceramic Art

Born in Matsuyama City in 1960. After graduating from the University of Tsukuba in 1983 with a major in art history, He worked as a teacher at metropolitan high schools of Tokyo for 12 years. From 1995, engaged in preparations for the opening of Hagi Uragami Museum as an expert curator of Yamaguchi pref. Transferred to the museum the following year, and was in charge of oriental ceramics and educational dissemination. In 2002, expanded his research to include Hagi ware, Japanese tea ceremony ceramics, and modern and contemporary ceramics. Retired in 2021 and took his current position.
Yoshida Ryutaro

Japan

CEO of Time & Style

Area of Expertise : Area of Expertise: Furniture and tableware interior products

Born in 1964. After graduating from high school, he went to Germany by himself and established Prestige Japan in Berlin in 1990. He established Prestige Japan Inc. in Japan in 1992 and opened the first Time & Style store in 1997. Currently, he manages Time & Style interior stores in Milan, the Netherlands, Tokyo, and Osaka. Through Japanese craftsmanship, he plans and produces products based on modern life and distributes them domestically and internationally.
Yamada Setsuko

Japan

CEO of Twin Inc.／Design Coordinator

Area of Expertise : Proposal, Planning and Promotion of Culture of Life

Graduated from Tama Art University in 1966 with a degree in design. Trained by Mr. Yanagi Sori, and associated with Matsuya Ginza in 1968, where she has been involved in sales, product proposals and exhibition floor planning as a coordinator ever since. Continues to make proposals hoping of “living in harmony with nature without forgetting the past” through working with various people, including companies, organizations, designers, artists and craftsmen in various regions. In 2000, she planned the gallery “Zushiya” in Ginza, Tokyo, and proposes “forms of prayer” that reach the hearts of people and their contemporary lifestyles.
Patrick Reymond

Switzerland

Architect／Designer／Co-founder of atelier oï

Area of Expertise : Architecture and Interior Design

Born in 1962 in Switzerland. With Armand Louis and Aurel Aebi, he founded atelier oï in 1991. With a team spirit and an intimate rapport with materials, atelier oï has been striving to dissolve barriers between genres and foster transdisciplinary creativity for 30 years. Born of their intuitive and emotional affinity, they work across architecture, interior design, product design and scenography with a collaboration across disciplines, creating holistic solutions from object to space. They have a strong interest in nature and natural materials, and their expertise in transforming these enables them to realize projects that are both emotional and artisanal.
Yokoyama Ikko

Hong Kong

M+ Lead Curator

Area of Expertise : Modern & Contemporary Design & Craft

She is a lead curator of design and architecture at M+, Hong Kong’s new museum for visual culture. Prior to that, served as a head of exhibitions at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm and as an independent curator and writer. In 2008, she cofounded “Editions in Craft”, a production platform that encourages collaborations among artists, designers, and craftspeople and worked on the projects mainly in South Africa. Currently, serves as an executive committee member of the ICAM International Confederation of Architectural Museums, expert member of the Council for Cultural Affairs in the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.

Ceramics Arts Category

Sugaya Tomio

Japan

Director of Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

Area of Expertise : Modern design, Photography, Contemporary Art

Born in Chiba in 1958. He served as a curator at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park and at the Osaka City Museum of Modern Art Planning Office before being appointed deputy director of the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka Planning Office in 2017. He became the first director of the museum in 2019. In charge of supervising the establishment and the operation of the new museum, as well as the fields of modern design, photography, and contemporary art. Also actively engaged in criticism and commentary in these fields.
Tashima Etsuko

Japan

Ceramist／Professor of Osaka University of Arts

Area of Expertise : Ceramic Art

Graduated from Osaka University of Arts, Crafts Department, Ceramic Course (1981), “Exhibition of Earth and Flames” at The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu (1987), The 9th Sakuya-Konohana Award, Art Division (1992), “The expression and the potential in contemporary ceramics” at Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum (1996), The 15th Takashimaya Art Award, “Cool & Light: New Spirit in Craft Making” at National Crafts Museum (2004), The Japan Ceramic Society Award (2005), “Tashima Etsuko Exhibition” at Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu (2010) and more, “Tashima Etsuko Hanasakinu” at Ishikawa Prefecture, Notojima Glass Art Museum (2019)
Rupert Faulkner

United Kingdom

Honorary Senior Research Fellow of Victoria and Albert Museum

Area of Expertise : Historical Japanese Ceramics and Contemporary Japanese Craft and Design

Born in Yokohama and educated in the UK, he retired in May 2021 as Senior Curator for Japan at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. He curated the exhibition “Japanese Studio Crafts: Tradition and the Avant-Garde” (1995) and published a book of the same title. He organized the Japanese section of the “International Arts and Crafts exhibition” (2005), after which he played a major role in the refurbishment of the museum’s top-floor ceramics galleries. His last key undertaking was the upgrade and redisplay of the V&A’s Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art, for which he was lead curator.
Claudia Casali

Italy

Art Historian／Director of International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza

Area of Expertise : Contemporary Art, Aesthetic, Critic of Art

Degree in Preservation of Cultural Heritage, PhD in Contemporary Art and Aesthetics at the University of Studies in Udine. Since 2011, she has been Director of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza where she is responsible of the Faenza Prize. The director of the historic magazine “Faenza”. Coordinated the major exhibition events of Palazzo Forti in Verona, and also collaborated with the GAM of Bologna (now MAMBO) for the main exhibition event (L’ombra della Ragione) dedicated to Bologna Capital of Culture 2000. Since September 2020 she has been the coordinator of ICOM Italy – Emilia Romagna Region.
Cho Hyeyoung

Republic of Korea

Chairperson of the Korea Association of Art and Design
Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Expert Panel (jury member since 2020)
LIndependent Art Director-Curator

Area of Expertise : Contemporary Crafts

International recognized independent curator personifying the practice of radical sharing in her curational practice. She works for acclaimed museums and organizations. Began as a studio artist, working her way up to curator, artistic director, and an administrator. Served as Secretary General for KCDF. Committed to importing cultural assets. Worked as International Commissioner in the GICB 2013; as Art Director for the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2015; Guest Curator of the 130 Years of Korea-France Relations at V&A 2016-2018 and more. Graduated from University of the West of England, Bristol. Received her master’s degree in Ewha Women’s University.