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Title
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Stephanie H. Shih
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Description
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“I look backwards more than I look forward” (Shih, 1). Stephanie H. Shih, a Taiwanese-American artist born in 1986 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was raised by Chinese-Taiwanese parents. While she was born on the East Coast, Shih grew up in New Jersey and earned her BS in Journalism from Boston University (AMOCA, 1). Shih is now based in Los Angeles, where she works as an artist and professor at the University of Southern California (Shih, 1). Growing up, she developed an interest in photography, starting with her father’s half-frame camera during childhood road trips. She later pursued photography more seriously in graduate school (Shih, 1). Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at venues such as Hashimoto Contemporary in Los Angeles, USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, and the Royal Photographic Society in the UK (Shih, 1). Despite her success across the United States, from the East to the West Coast, Shih’s art remains focused on exploring the concept of "home."
Known primarily as a ceramist, Shih’s work delves into the “contemporary and historical cultural dynamics of the diaspora” through her still-life creations, often centered around household items and foods common in Asian American families’ kitchens (Shih, 1). Shih recalls, “Growing up, sharing meals was extremely important to my mother. She was very strict about us all sitting down as a family every night for dinner. And so I think that gave me a certain appreciation for sharing food as a form of communication” (Budds, 1). This deep appreciation for food, combined with the simplicity of home life, is a theme that is vividly brought to life in her now-iconic ceramic sculptures.
Shih’s ceramic style is rooted in the concept of Asian pottery, which she feels has not been fully explored, despite the importation of many Asian vessels, such as vases, to the United States (Hostetter, 1). Everyday items like Skippy peanut butter, Spam, Asian vinegar and condiments, and rice have been central to her ceramic collections (Atkins, 1). Shih has transformed the Eurocentric tradition of still life art by incorporating Asian elements into her work. She explains that Asian American still life art creates an “overdue dialogue between the symbology of Eurocentric still life style with that of Asian traditions,” highlighting the complexities of assimilating into American society (Shih, 1). One of the central themes of Shih’s work is the transformation of ordinary objects, such as condiments, into permanent art pieces. This sense of permanence is vital to her artistic ideology, as she believes that the meanings of objects can have a transformative impact on communities (Atkins, 1). The reinterpretation of these objects, especially in the context of moving between homelands, allows for the creation of new emotional memories, which are acknowledged through their "ceramic form" (Atkins, 1).
One of Shih’s most significant works, which helped launch her career, is her dumpling piece, in which she molded 30 identical dumplings by hand using clay. She recalls that while making the dumplings, she could hear her ayis, or aunties, teasing each other about the quality of each other's dumplings (Kirts, 1). When Shih posted a photo of the dumplings on Instagram, she was overwhelmed by the support from Asian Americans who shared a sense of nostalgia, despite coming from diverse backgrounds and living in different parts of the United States (Kirts, 1). This response prompted Shih to reflect on these interactions, which led to the creation of other works, such as “Gold Plum Chinkiang Vinegar.” The dumplings piece not only sparked conversation among those with similar backgrounds but also became a powerful representation of cultural experience in the United States. By elevating the dumpling—a seemingly ordinary food item—into an art form, Shih bridges the Eurocentric still life tradition with her Asian heritage. This transformation of an emotional memory into art provides a social commentary on the intersections of heritage and assimilation, made even more poignant by the feedback she received from her social media followers.
In an interview with Cultured magazine, Shih notes that Asian culture will never be mainstream, which is why Asian America remains such an emotional and shared space (Hostetter, 1). What began as an image of porcelain dumplings—often “fetishized” as part of Chinese culture—unintentionally reinforced stereotypes. For instance, in response to her dumpling post, some white commenters suggested, “You should make them look like they’re dipped in soy sauce” (Shareff, 1). Shih reflects that soy sauce has itself become a trope in the way Chinese food is viewed in America (Shareff, 1). The mixed feedback prompted Shih to reevaluate her ceramics and sculptures, further exploring her Asian heritage and using her art to bridge the gap between her identity and her creative work (Shareff, 1).
Shih currently resides in Brooklyn, New York (Berggruen, 1). She recently launched a solo exhibition in San Francisco, focusing on the cultural history of the city's Chinatown, and continues to work in Los Angeles (Shih, 1).
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Alternative Title
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"Porcelain Dumplings"
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Source
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“Asian American Still Life Artist Statement, Stephanie Shih, Artist.” STEPHANIE SHIH (史欣雲), www.stephanie-shih.com/asian-american-still-life-artist-statement.
Alexander Berggruen. “Stephanie H. Shih.” Alexander Berggruen, https://alexanderberggruen.com/artists/stephanie-h-shih/.
Atkins, Olivia. “Ceramic artist Stephanie H. Shih recreates food products in clay to explore cultural identity.” Creative Boom, 9 Jan. 2023. https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/stephanie-h-shih/
Berggruen Gallery. “Stephanie H. Shih: Greetings from Gold Mountain.” Berggruen Gallery, https://www.berggruen.com/exhibitions/stephanie-h-shih.
Budds, Diana. “My Place.” Curbed Magazine. 21 Oct. 2020. https://www.curbed.com/article/artist-stephanie-shih-home-tour.html
Gerstein, Beth Ann. “Exhibition Foreword.” AMOCA. https://www.amoca.org/members/exhibitions/mib-contemporary-chinese-american-ceramics/photos/#:~:text=Shih-,Stephanie%20H.,as%20an%20artist%20in%20Brooklyn.
Hostetter, Alaena. “Ceramic Artist Stephanie H. Shih on the Meaning of Memory and Clay.” Cultured Magazine, 26 June 2020,
Kirts, Leah. “This Asian-American Artist Creates Community with a Porcelain Pantry.” edible Brooklyn, 28 Nov. 2018. https://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2018/stephanie-shih-porcelain-ceramics/
"Stephanie H. Shih." Alexander Berggruen, https://alexanderberggruen.com/artists/stephanie-h-shih/.
"Stephanie H. Shih." Bowdoin College Museum of Art, https://artmuseum.bowdoin.edu/artist-maker/info/7293.
“Asian American Still Life Artist Statement, Stephanie Shih, Artist.” STEPHANIE SHIH (史欣雲), www.stephanie-shih.com/asian-american-still-life-artist-statement.
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Name
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Zahra Khan
