Stephanie H. Shih

Interviews by Brainard Carey

Stephanie H. Shih in the studio, Brooklyn, NY, 2025. Photo: Robert Bredvad

Stephanie H. Shih (b. 1986, Philadelphia, PA) renders outdated consumer goods as trompe l’oeil sculptures that reveal the tensions within American domestic life. Turning everyday items—a Thighmaster, a self-help book, many pantries’ worth of condiments—into intricately painted ceramic objects transforms each into a permanent artifact. Seen together, the works play with notions of timelessness and obsolescence, nostalgia and disillusionment.

Shih has exhibited work at James Cohan, New York, NY; Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, CA; Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford, CA; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA; Bradbury Art Museum, Jonesboro, AR; and the American Museum of Ceramic Arts, Pomona, CA. The artist has also been the recipient of numerous awards and residencies including the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, New York, NY; residency at The Corporation of Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY as well as many others.

Community work is central to Shih’s practice, and since 2017, she has used her art and platform to raise over half a million dollars in direct aid for victims of state violence. Want to help? Click here. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

Works from Stephanie H. Shih’s solo show Domestic Bliss (January 22-February 26, 2025) at Alexander Berggruen, New York. All works: 2023-2024, ceramic. Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Robert Bredvad

Stephanie H. Shih Filet-O-Fish, 2023 ceramic 5 1/2 x 5 x 5 1/2 in. (14 x 12.7 x 14 cm.) Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Robert Bredvad. Included in Stephanie H. Shih: Domestic Bliss (January 22-February 26, 2025) at Alexander Berggruen, NY.

Stephanie H. Shih Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, 2024 ceramic 7 x 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (17.8 x 11.4 x 3.8 cm.) Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Robert Bredvad. Included in Stephanie H. Shih: Domestic Bliss (January 22-February 26, 2025) at Alexander Berggruen, NY.