Pocapoca story village
Welcome
About the village
Pocapoca, written in Japanese scripts “ぽかぽか”, means making others warm. There’s all sorts of lovely stories happening everyday in the Village Pocapoca. Chief Poca uses her spare time to put them down in words and drawings, and hence the flourish of this place…
About the Chief of Village
Poca
Poca is a Taiwanese freelance illustrator. The name, Poca, is derived from the Japanese language, Poka-Poka, which has the meaning of “showing tenderness to others” as she hopes to bring joy and courage to the readers through her works. She is best known for her childlike and playful illustrations with heartfelt stories.
Having worked as a freelance illustrator for 8 years, Poca has gained popularity within the industry through social media and many successful exhibitions she held over the years. With her artistic passion for picture book drawing as well as short story writing, it has led her to win the Unique Picture Book Award for Taiwan Picture Book Association in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Her illustrations can also be seen in Taiwan’s leading children’s newspaper, Mandarin Daily News, since 2014.
Not only does Poca draw picture books, but she paints murals of all sizes for schools, coffee shops, and public spaces. Besides, she also works as a graphic designer and designs logos, packaging, campaigns, event cards, and posters for businesses.
Moreover, she has collaborated with Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Reading Theater on children’s plays, where she innovatively combines the illustrations and short stories of her picture books with the orchestra.
The first series of her picture book “The Little Kappa -The First Day at A New School” was published in January, 2020, and the following series is expected to come out soon.
Education
Master of Arts, Arts and Humanities Education,
Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan.
Training in Courses of Picture book/Illustration,
Chinese Culture University, Taiwan.
Bachelor of Arts, Chinese Literature,
National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan.
Exhibition
Solo Exhibitions
June - July 2015
Kappa’s Diary
Aglow Space / Tainan, Taiwan
October - November 2014
Bon Voyage
Dessert Hyvä / Taichung, Taiwan
August - September 2014
Bon Voyage
Changee / Taipei, Taiwan
Group Exhibitions
December 2019
Young art Kaohsiung
Pier2, Dayong Warehouse
May - June 2019
An Illustrated Guide to the Ships
Pier2, Young Gallery
November - December 2016
Fish Catching in Kuandu
Taipei National University of the Arts / Taipei, Taiwan
October-November, 2018
The impression of Tainan
One day shop cafe / Tainan, Taiwan
September 2015 - February 2016
The Gifts
Red Barn Factory & Tours / Kaohsiung, Taiwan
June - July 2014
Give me Five
Retro / Taichung, Taiwan
Factory mojoCoffee / Taichung, Taiwan
February - March 2014
Tastes of Your Life
Chiayi Cultural & Creative Industries Park / Chiayi, Taiwan
September - October 2012
Flying Factory
School of Continuing Education of Chinese Culture University / Taipei, Taiwan
Crossover Performance
May 13, 2018
Taipei Philharmonic Music
Kappa's Dairy: Go to Work With Mom/ MusicReading Theater
May 21, 2017
Taipei Philharmonic Music
Kappa's Diary: The Blue Journey/ MusicReading Theater
June 25, 2017
Taipei Philharmonic Music
The Illustrated Guide to the Ships of the North/ MusicReading Theater
Awards
2021 55th Illustrators Exhibition of Bologna Children's Book Fair
Finalist/ Bologna Children's Book Fair
2016 Unique Picture Book Award
Honorable Mention / Taiwan Picture Book Artists Association
2015 Environmental Protection Picture Book Award
Honorable Mention / Taiwan Environmental Information Association
2014 Unique Picture Book Award
Honorable Mention/ Taiwan Picture Book Artists Association
Artist Residencies
April - June 2019
Pier-2 Artist In Residence, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
February - March 2016
Cheng-pin Fish Port, Keelung, Taiwan