Artist Spotlight: Joaquin Tinh
Tag: People
From murals to youth collaboration, Joaquin Tinh’s art is built for and with the community. His work brings color, voice, and meaning into public spaces across Oakland, always rooted in healing and connection. As we gear up for our next collaboration, we caught up with Joaquin to learn more about the values behind his practice and his continued commitment to uplifting young artists.
Q: To start off — for folks who might be meeting you for the first time, how would you describe yourself as a person and as an artist?
A: I, Joaquin Thin, am a healer — not the kind shaped by classrooms, but by lived experience. Once I learned to heal, I felt the need to support youth who are facing the challenges I once knew, offering tools to help them navigate the transition from youth into adulthood.
That’s where all of my art is rooted — whether through my youth mural program, Activartists, or through my personal work. Everything I create exists at the intersection of storytelling and healing, where creativity becomes both a way forward and a way home.
Q: You founded ActivArtists to use art as a platform for empowerment and social change. What inspired you to start it, and how do you see its impact growing across Oakland and beyond?
A: I started Activartists because I see art and education being undervalued and underappreciated. As someone who knows the power of art — someone whose life has been saved by it — I understand just how deeply it can heal. That’s why it’s so important for me to be a voice that stands up for the importance of healing through creativity. And I plan to keep standing up for it always, because we can never have enough voices advocating for this work.
I see Activartists growing beyond me — becoming something global. There are so many cities that need the kind of support we provide, cities with at-risk youth, and communities that are lacking connection, belonging, and a sense of togetherness. That’s who ActiveArtists is here for. We show up for the people who need us.
And because people need us everywhere, that’s where we’ll go. We’re starting here in the Bay Area and from here, we’ll continue to grow.
Q: Through ActivArtists, you work closely with youth to create and uplift community voices. What have the young artists you mentor taught you about creativity or resilience?
A: The young artists I mentor have taught me so much about creativity. Honestly, they taught me how to have fun again. Doing art alone can start to feel like work, but when I’m creating with youth, they bring so much joy and play into the process. To them, it’s not work — it’s pure expression. And that’s when the best art happens. Realizing this shifted how I approach my own work, both personal and public, and brought the fun back into my practice.
They’ve also taught me a lot about resilience. Many of the youth I work with juggle school, homework, and family responsibilities, yet they still make time to show up after school. It gives me hope. It shows they care about their mental health and the importance of nurturing themselves. Showing up is hard, especially when life pulls you in every direction. But these young people keep doing it. Each time they return to the mural classes, they’re choosing themselves. And that resilience is what inspires me.
Q: You took part in the 2025 Art Clash, which was such a fun and high-energy event. What was that experience like, and did it spark anything new in your creative process?
A: The art battle was exhilarating —Very fun, fast-paced. How did it change my creative process? I think it reminded me that if you go into something expecting to win, you set yourself up for disappointment unless you come out on top. But if you go into it with the intention of having fun, then you’ve already won.
The experience gave me a chance to put that mindset into practice again. I wouldn’t say it taught me anything new — it was simply another opportunity to reinforce what I already believe and practice.
Q: You’ve created art throughout Oakland and the Bay — what do you love most about working in this region, and what keeps you coming back to public-space projects?
A: What I love most about working in Oakland and the Bay Area is how public art becomes a tool for connection. It’s where you see art making its deepest impact in communities — used for healing, for unifying, for storytelling, for expression in its fullest and truest form. For the community, by the community.
Public art is art that lives on. It becomes more than a mural or an installation — it becomes a symbol of resilience, of cultural pride. It becomes a historical marker, a declaration that we are here, and we are strong.
And I keep coming back because I can’t help myself. This is where I grew up, and I feel a responsibility to give back — to contribute and uplift this place in return for all the ways it has shaped me.
Q: When someone walks by one of your pieces in Oakland or Jack London, what do you hope they feel or take away from that moment?
A: When people walk by my work and notice it, appreciate it, or take a moment to sit with it, I hope they receive it in whatever way they’re meant to in that moment. The beautiful thing about art is that it’s open to interpretation. Yes, there’s meaning and storytelling behind my pieces, but I also love that my work can mean an infinite number of things.
I’ve had people share interpretations that are completely different from what I intended, yet they still resonate with me because those reactions are genuine and authentic to their experience.
So I don’t want viewers to think one specific thing. I want them to feel whatever comes up naturally and let the piece speak to them in its own way. It’s a lot like blindly mixing colors — you may not know what you’ll end up with, but something beautiful will emerge.