A Graceful Conversation with Stephanie H. Shih

Courtesy of Berggruen Gallery. Photography by Brooke Holm.

Stephanie H. Shih’s painted ceramic sculptures explore the way cultural identities evolve as they migrate with a diaspora. She replicates everyday objects that reflect traces of colonization, emigration, assimilation, and cultural interchange within the lives of Asian immigrants and their children. Shih has had solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and at the Syracuse University Art Museum. Her work has been reviewed by the LA Times, Hyperallergic, Cultured, and NPR and received support from the American Museum of Ceramic Arts, Silver Art Projects, and Lighthouse Works.  Biography Courtesy of Kohler Co and JMKAC.

UZOMAH: How does contemporary pop culture, such as music, fashion, or film, specifically inspire and impact your work? Does it influence your choice of themes, colors, or techniques?

STEPHANIE: Most of my work is set in the recent past of the 80s and 90s, and typically juxtaposes cultural touchpoints—domestic objects, household consumer goods, and popular media—that provide new or deliberate contexts for each other. Occasionally, when I’m sculpting an object that I don’t have a color image of, like a landmark building in Milwaukee’s Chinatown circa 1913, I’ll refer to a book of historical color trends to help find a palette that feels era-appropriate. I rarely reference contemporary (post-millennium) objects, but I’m always aware of—and playing with—the current cultural contexts of my subjects. 

U: How did you prepare for your presentation at Art Basel? What are some things you have taken away from your experience?

S: Making a lifesize Italian ice pushcart took many months and a ton of planning. It was made up of 25 sculpted ceramic parts—including the largest single ceramic object I’ve made to date—that I had to rent an extra-large kiln to fire. The sculpted components were then attached to one another and a steel chassis with functional rubber wheels. 

Honestly, the whole endeavor felt a bit crazy until the very last moment when the cart handle, made of steel conduit, was bolted to the ceramic frame, and the vision finally came together. Until then, the plans made hypothetical sense, but I wasn’t really sure how it would work in real life—and even after it was finished, people were shocked it could be rolled around like a real-life pushcart. 

SStephanie Shih, Marinos Italian Ice (Cherry), 2024, Ceramic 4 x 3 x 3 inches.

U: How does your artwork relate to the work you do for disenfranchised and immigrant communities facing material instability and deportation? How do you use art to change lives?

S: While my artwork is rarely overtly political in the sense of agitprop or protest art, my personal views on immigrant identities, class solidarity, and labor inform both my community work as well as my art practice. I’ve been extremely lucky to have earned the trust of my social media followers over many years, and I’ve leveraged that trust to fundraise for causes that are important to me. Using just my Instagram art account to raffle small sculptures or sell t-shirts illustrated by artist friends, I’ve raised over $480,000 for bail funds, community food distributions, housing security, and native land rights, among other causes.

Stephanie Shih, Pistachio Ice Cream, 2023 Ceramic, 5 x 4 x 3 inches.

U: Your work often shapes narratives that are at the same time playful and reflective. How do you take particular objects and bring out that liveliness where a story can be told visually?

S: The narrative connections in my work come from the juxtaposition of objects within an exhibition or individual tableau—so much can be said through context alone. 

Stephanie Shih, Marinos Italian Ice (Rainbow), 2024, ceramic, 4 x 3 x 3 inches.

U: Visually, your work is an account of historical events and cultural touchpoints. Where did this inspiration to focus on these themes originate?

S:  So much of who I am today has been shaped by things that happened before I was born. Though I think this is true for everyone, perhaps it’s especially apparent for immigrants and their children, whose lives or cultural lineages may have been upended by geopolitical events out of their control. In this sense, it’s hard for me not to think about the past all the time. 

Stephanie Shih, Pink Grapefruit, 2023, ceramic, 2 x 5 x 5 inches.

U: What makes creating art meaningful for you? And what are your future plans or projects that you are particularly excited about? 

S: I’m currently working on a found-object mosaic sculpture based on a historic Chinese American landmark. It’s a completely new medium for me, but I love its connection to both my ceramic practice and the process of research. The mosaic will include shards from both contemporary and archeological dishware, along with diasporic Asian tchotchkes, like Kewpie dolls and miniature teapots, sent in from all over the country. The work is a museum commission for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI, and will be on view for a year starting June 2025.

For more information about Stephanie’s artwork, please visit her website.