We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Ren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joe, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is “Of Color and Ink”, a documentary about Chang Dai-chien, one of China’s most influential painters of the 20th century. I was brought on as the graphic designer, creating the key visuals for the film—posters, titles, promotional material. It was an incredible experience, not just professionally, but personally.

What made this project really special for me was how much I connected with Chang’s story. The film follows his 30 years in exile, moving through South America, Europe, and the U.S. as he tried to find his place in the world while staying true to his artistic roots. His journey isn’t just a historical story—it’s a reflection of identity, displacement, and the pursuit of beauty and meaning through art. He bridged the aesthetics of East and West, tradition and innovation, and I saw parallels in that to the role design plays in communication across boundaries. As an immigrant myself, I felt a deep connection to that journey, this balance between holding on to where you come from while adapting to new environments. It’s something I’ve lived, and something I wanted to reflect in the visual style of the project.

Working with director Weimin Zhang, who spent 12 years bringing this story to life, pushed me to think more deeply about how design can carry meaning, history, and emotion. This wasn’t just about making things look good—it was about honoring an artist’s legacy and helping to tell a story that hadn’t been told before.

Joe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a multimedia artist, designer, and educator currently working as an assistant professor of Digital Media at California State university Bakersfield. I’m also the co-founder and chief designer of Expose Art Magazine and serve as the rotating-term vice-chair of the Executive Committee at the Association of Chinese Artists in American Academia (ACAAA). My work spans across digital print, video, animation, and virtual interaction, and I’ve exhibited nationally and internationally in the U.S., Sweden, Finland, South Korea, and China. My writings and research have been published in China, the U.K., and the U.S.

I’ve loved art since I was a kid. Back then, drawing was my way of creating my own world, making up characters, inventing toys I didn’t have.I didn’t think too deeply about it at the time; I just enjoyed the process. But as I got older and began exploring different mediums, I started to notice how images could do more than just entertain—they could express ideas, trigger emotions, and even shift the way people see things.

That’s where my curiosity really began, 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 to 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.

As a designer and artist, I’m drawn to contradictions. Much of my work investigates the relationship between appearance and reality, especially in our hyper-digital world. I use imagery pulled from social media, news, consumer trash, and forgotten places to create immersive, often surreal environments that ask viewers to slow down, look deeper, and question what they’re seeing. In a time where fake news, filters, and AI are redefining what we think of as “real,” my work asks: what truths are we losing, and what illusions are we buying into?

I work across a range of visual design and media platforms. I collaborate with artists, filmmakers, institutions, and organizations to create visual identities, motion graphics, interactive installations, and storytelling experiences. I’m also committed to using art as a way to bring people together. One example is my design contribution to public art events Walk with Amal, where I worked with artist Chintia Kirana who brought this project to life in Montgomery, Alabama, to welcome the symbolic refugee child through projection and sound. We aim to make work that resonates on both a personal and collective level. That project, centered on empathy and community care, reminded me how art can bring people together in quiet but powerful ways.

Another meaningful project is, Yellow, it was a collaboration between artists and students in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Together, we made nearly a thousand ceramic fortune cookies—not as playful symbols, but as a reflection on how something as culturally familiar as the fortune cookie can carry layers of meaning. It became a way to speak to both the stereotypes often projected onto Asian identity and the real experiences of pain, resilience, and solidarity within our communities. Using a symbol often seen as light or commercial, we confronted deeper issues through a shared, hands-on creative process.

What sets me apart is my ability to move between roles and disciplines: artist, educator, designer, researcher. I think critically and visually. I care deeply about the cultural, political, and human context behind every project. And I bring that perspective to both the classroom and the studio.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to help others see differently—whether that’s through a provocative art installation, a beautifully designed publication, or a class discussion that opens up a new way of thinking. I believe design and art are not just tools for communication—they’re tools for transformation.

If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about my work, it’s curiosity. I’m constantly asking questions, challenging assumptions, and searching for the hidden layers beneath the surface. My work doesn’t give easy answers—but it opens up space for dialogue, reflection, and discovery.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think we need to first recognize the value of creative work—not just economically, but culturally and socially. That starts with education. We need to support arts education early on and give young people space to think visually, express themselves, and explore ideas without being pushed into only practical or commercial paths.

Artists also need time, space, and support to experiment. That means more public funding, residencies, fair pay, and access to opportunities that aren’t limited by gatekeeping or market trends. Not all valuable creative work is immediately profitable.

We should also encourage more connection between artists and other parts of society—tech, science, education, community work. Creative thinking belongs everywhere, and artists often bring perspectives that help people see problems differently.

Most of all, artists need to be seen not just as service providers or content creators, but as thinkers, researchers, and storytellers who help shape culture. A thriving creative ecosystem supports not only the work artists produce, but the process they go through to make it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most fulfilling moments are when my work sparks conversation, challenges assumptions, or offers a perspective that invites people to experience something differently. It’s not just about making things look good; it’s about making people think.

It’s also meaningful when my work brings people together, whether through teaching, a public art project, or an exhibition. Those shared moments, when art becomes a space for connection and dialogue, are what keep me going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joezheren.com
• Instagram: rzenergy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MrRz1983