Layna Wang is a Chicago-based experimental musician, writer, and cultural organizer whose work explores how sound and voice shape systems of power, identity, and belonging. Through interdisciplinary performance, participatory installations, and critical writing, they investigate the social architectures that underlie public life—particularly in education, art, and spirituality.

Rooted in practices of deep listening and improvisation, Wang’s work challenges institutional hierarchies and seeks to democratize tools for creative expression. Their recent projects include Sacred Soundscapes of Chicago, a community-driven audio archive amplifying the spiritual sound worlds of faith communities, and bathtime?, a site-responsive performance interrogating the politics of embodiment and audience expectation.

Originally trained as an opera singer, Wang draws from lived experience and arts pedagogy to examine the commodification of artistic labor and the emotional toll of navigating extractive systems. They currently work in Chicago Public Schools as a substitute teacher, where their direct experience with systemic inequities informs both their artistic and written work.

Wang’s creative toolkit spans graphic notation, field recording, extended vocal techniques, and social practice. They are currently developing new interdisciplinary projects that merge sound, storytelling, and structural critique to reimagine the role of artists in public life.

For collaborations, commissions, or inquiries, contact:

layna.s.wang (at) gmail.com