Who we are
CarpOs is an art collective initiated in 2017 by Shirls, Julia, and Joyce. We share a love of creating art and stories, and showcase paintings, sculptures, illustrations, zines, and a variety of merchandise. We are proud of our diverse and unique members, who all come from varying backgrounds, beliefs, and world views. We aim to create a healthy space for open conversation with our work amongst our respective communities, and celebrate the narrative of these differences working together.
Etymology of CarpOs
The root word is from the cactus family Ariocarpus, we are strong like the thriving cactus who blooms pink, yellow and blue flowers. Os is from the Latin word of bones, and Carpos is specifically the bones in our wrists. As artists, we thrive in harsh environments, using the bones of our wrists to manifest our imaginations into reality. For simplification, our original intention of being AriocarpOs has been changed to CarpOs.
Artist Bios
Joyce Jodie Kim
Joyce Jodie Kim is a Korean-Canadian artist, author, & poet, with a BFA in Fine Arts & Creative Writing from OCAD University.
Author of Caterpillar Portraits, she loves to write stories & poems loaded with metaphors of the human condition & the universal search for truth.
Joyce’s most recent obsession has been wearable sculptures made out of paper mache. An advocate for whimsical fashion & how this generation uses aesthetics to communicate & create space- she values vulnerability, raw self-awareness, & spiritual growth.
Instagram: @joyceyjodie @joyceyjodiewearables
Shirley Shuning Wang
Shirls Shuning is a painter, designer, and writer. She is obsessed with nostalgia and the little things in life. From the most mundane of daily activity to the flurries of urban traffic, she finds interest in the uninteresting. Her art dives into the necessary dialogue of emotional health and self-care, hoping to expand its awareness and develop an artistic outlet for the community.
With an entrepreneurial background, her second love is event and program coordination, striving to bring the local community together through art.
Instagram: @shirlsshuning
Julia Louise Pereira
Julia Louise Pereira is an illustrator, writer, and book-binder whose work focuses on telling compelling stories and engaging her audience in emotional and magical designs. She majors in Illustration, with a minor in Creative Writing at OCAD University, and works as a Designer for WIAprojects, a women's art group. As an emerging feminist artist, she re-frames myths and folklore by providing us with open narratives that challenge us to question our deepest fears, desires and beliefs.
Instagram: @ohlordyitsjulia