Steph Huang: There is nothing old under the sun
Part of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award National Touring Programme
Steph Huang’s first solo exhibition in Manchester, There is nothing old under the sun, draws on her ongoing interest in vernacular architecture, everyday materials, and the poetic absurdities of consumption. Wandering street markets in London, Paris and Taiwan, Huang reworks found objects using sculptural processes such as glassblowing, welding, woodwork and casting, creating lyrical and tactile works that shift our attention to the overlooked.
The exhibition’s title borrows a phrase often repeated by Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri — a nod to Huang’s own photography practice, which shaped the early development of the show through the revisiting of two personal archives of images taken over several years.
Alongside recent work, Huang premieres Drizzle Between Bricks, a new commission developed during a residency in Manchester using the Maker Space at University of Salford. Co-commissioned by esea contemporary and University of Salford Art Collection, this work marks a deepening of Huang’s engagement with local contexts and material histories.
There is nothing old under the sun is part of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award National Touring Programme. Huang is the 21st recipient of the award — one of the UK’s most significant prizes for emerging sculptors. The exhibition was first shown at Standpoint Gallery (London), and will tour to Cross Lane Projects (Kendal) in 2025.
The exhibition is supported by Arts Council England, Henry Moore Foundation, and the University of Salford Art Collection.
To accompany the exhibition, esea contemporary and Bound Art Book Fair co-present a special publication, also titled There is nothing old under the sun, launched with a panel discussion held in Manchester. This English-Chinese bilingual publication offers a deeper entry into Huang’s conceptual and visual language, centred on a mode of drifting and the poetics of the everyday.
Alongside images of Huang’s artworks and original photography, it features contributions from Xiaowen Zhu, Jo-Lene Ong, Ellen Mara De Wachter, and the artist herself. Designed by Huang’s frequent collaborator Leslie Chang, the book reveals narratives embedded in the act of making. The launch event brought together Steph Huang, Professor Allan Walker (University of Salford), Stephanie Fletcher (University of Salford Art Collection), and Ellen Mara De Wachter, in a conversation moderated by Jo-Lene Ong (esea contemporary).
