Koi Ren
Koi Ren is an artist whose practice is centered around the intersection of the human body and emerging technologies. Using wearable devices, gaze trackers, emotion sensors, and biofeedback, immersive tools, Koi’s work challenges traditional power dynamics and provides agency to marginalized perspectives. She encourages audiences to consider their own roles and possibilities in shaping the future through the use of novel media and its effects on emotions, desires, and behaviors. Her art delves into the ways in which technology shapes society and the human experience, with a particular focus on the concept of the “gaze.” In her projects, Koi examines the ways in which the gaze is used to construct and reinforce power dynamics. She draws on contemporary media studies and psychoanalysis to explore the tension between the subject and object in relation to the “collective consciousness” and the “panopticon” concept. Through her work, Ren aims to create a critical lens through which to view the ongoing technological revolution and to provoke thought and dialogue about the implications of these emerging technologies.