Meet Joe Ren

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joe Ren. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joe below.

Hi Joe, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

As a designer and artist, I’m drawn to the tension between appearance and reality, especially in a world overwhelmed by digital noise. Over time, I realized that my creative work wasn’t just about making images; it was about investigating the gap between what we see and what is actually true. Working with imagery from social media, news cycles, consumer waste, and forgotten spaces, I began building immersive, sometimes surreal environments that encourage people to slow down, look closer, and question their assumptions. Somewhere in that process of sifting through visuals, uncovering distortions, and constructing new perspectives. I discovered that my purpose is to help others recognize the subtle truths that often get lost. In an era shaped by filters, misinformation, and AI-generated illusions, my work keeps returning to the same questions: What truths are slipping away? And what illusions are we too willing to believe? Searching for answers to those questions is what continues to guide my practice—and ultimately, what gives my work meaning.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My path has always moved between art, design, and teaching. These days, I spend most of my time with students in the Digital Media and Design program at California State University Bakersfield, where I teach as an assistant professor and get to explore new ideas with them every day. Outside the classroom, I co-founded Expose Art Magazine, where I continue to shape its creative direction, and I serve on the Executive Committee of the Association of Chinese Artists in American Academia, helping support a community of artists and scholars.

My work drifts across many mediums—digital print, video, animation, mixed reality, and virtual interaction. I create posters, logos, and visual identities for clients, projects, and exhibitions, which lets me stay grounded in real-world design challenges while exploring more experimental forms in my artwork. These explorations have taken me to exhibitions around the world, from the U.S. to Sweden, Finland, South Korea, and China. Along the way, I’ve also had the chance to share my thoughts through writing and research published internationally. It’s been a journey shaped by curiosity, experimentation, and a constant excitement for how art and technology continue to evolve together.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the most impactful quality is curiosity, wondering how visual language works, how media shapes perception, how truth and fiction get tangled, and how images can hold deep emotional and cultural weight. All of these questions, experiences, and observations eventually led me into what I do now. Growing up in China and building my career across different countries, I’ve always been navigating dual identities. That tension—between East and West, real and virtual, self and society—continues to shape my creative and academic work today. If you’re just starting out, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Embrace exploration and take every opportunity to discover new possibilities. Stay motivated, and keep your curiosity alive. It will guide you forward.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I work across a range of visual design and media platforms. I collaborate with artists, filmmakers, institutions, and cultural organizations to create visual identities, motion graphics, interactive installations, and storytelling experiences. I’m committed to using art as a way to bring people together. I always looking for the opportunity to collaborate with people from different disciplines. They can visit my website and reach me from there. www.joezheren.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joezheren.com
• Instagram: rzenergy