War Dance
April 2025
Ebony, Mahogany, Hemp, Hair From Head of Joyce, Spalted Tamarind, Padauk, Maple, 389 Hours


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Relevant Texts to “War Dance”

Chiang, T. (2019). Exhalation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling
The Great Silence
Omphalos

Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.
Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. Vintage Canada
Le guin, Ursula. (1985). Always Coming Home. Harper Perennial ed., Harper & Row, 2023.
Kesner, L. (1995). Likeness of No One: (Re)presenting the First Emperor’s Army. College Art Association.




(the) Goods
April 2025
Blown Jars, Padauk, Osage Orange, Ebony, Maple, Mahogany

An accumulative collection of residue from sculptural projects...


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Relevant Texts to “(the) Goods ”

Miller, M. (2018). Circe. Little, Brown and Company.
Le guin, Ursula. (1985). Always Coming Home. Harper Perennial ed., Harper & Row, 2023.




Plume
December 2024
Ebony, Hemp, Hair from Head of Joyce, 106 hours

Conduit of War Dance


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Relevant Texts to “Plume”

Chiang, T. (2019). Exhalation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling
The Great Silence
Omphalos

Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.
Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. Vintage Canada.



Witness
November 2024
Ebony, Padauk, Hemp, Glass, Walnut, 115 hours


I see you.


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Relevant Texts to “Witness”

Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. Vintage Canada.
Palahniuk,  C.  (2005).  Haunted.  Vintage.
Powers, R. (2018). The Overstory. W. W. Norton & Company.
Dostoevsky, F. translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. (2021). Notes from Underground. Vintage Classics
Euripides. Medea
S
ophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus



Prayer II
May 2024
Mahogany-obsidian, Ebony, Hemp, Padauk, 81 hours


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Relevant Texts to “Prayer II”

Miller, M. (2018). Circe. Little, Brown and Company.
Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. Vintage Canada.
Dostoevsky, F. Frank, J. (1987). Crime and Punishment. Bantam Dell.
Palahniuk,  C.  (2005).  Haunted.  Vintage.


Little Works





Other Works


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About

Bio
Joyce Shi is an interdisciplinary artist exploring ritual and seduction through sculptures made of wood, glass, and stone. She graduated from RISD with a BFA degree in Glass. Her work is informed by her multi-cultural identity, as well as her interest in transformation, craft, and alchemy. She is currently based in Vancouver, BC.



Statement

Ritual is a driving theme in Joyce’s work — in both its relevance to early spiritual practices and its symbolism in ancient archaeology. Her work is closely tied to the natural world, specifically defense systems that occur within bodily structures. In pushing the boundaries of familiarity, she finds balance between representation and personalization. 

Labor and sacrifice are crucial to Joyce’s working process, it strongly affects the pride she feels for the finished work. An essential part of her practice lies within the fine detailing, creating fragility as a form of seduction — a means to draw attention inwards. Her body and her materials are vessels that hold memory of their countless transformations, allowing each piece of work to become a physical manifestation of her personhood as she continues to change and record time. 


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Contact

email me: studiojoyceshi@gmail.com
@j0ycesh1

© 2025 Joyce shi. All Rights Reserved