Artist Bio

A woman with long black wavy hair smiling, wearing a checkered gray blazer over a black top, with necklaces and rings, seated against a black background.

Jayla Trenyce, a Chicago native, is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice is anchored in photography, using the medium to explore the intersections of spirituality and identity. With eight years of practice in photography, she has honed her craft through formal fine art education at Northern Illinois University.

Through her practice, Jayla engages in self-interrogation, reflecting on the complexities of Black femme identity formation. Drawing on feminist theory, she challenges societal and media influences that often dictate self-perception. Jayla seeks to own her narrative, visualize, and liberate herself from the external impositions on Black womanhood. This liberation is paradoxical—acknowledging the difficulty of fully escaping external structures while embracing the ongoing journey of resistance. The desire to exist outside limiting frameworks related to gender performance, racial performativity, or cultural expectations—is a central theme of my work

In addition to her photographic practice, Jayla has also served as a Programming and Social Media Assistant at the historic South Side Community Art Center, where she supported Black arts administration and archival preservation.

She has contributed to initiatives such as Belonging in S.T.E.A.M. (2024), which centers authentic representation for BIPOC and other historically underrepresented groups across science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

As the founder of Kindred Noir, a budding creative initiative focused on curating exhibitions and cultivating spaces for emerging Black artists and storytellers, Jayla is committed to using visual language to inspire dialogue and build community. In 2025, she launched the inaugural Black Student Art Exhibition at NIU, following Kindred Noir’s Back-to-School Art Supply Drive & Fundraiser, which elevated emerging Black artists and provided art supplies to Chicago public school students.

Jayla has recently joined High Concept Laboratories as Program Assistant, bringing with her a passion for arts administration rooted in care, cultural advocacy, and intentional storytelling.