Lesley Mok is a percussionist and interdisciplinary artist who works in sound, installation, film, and theater. Interested in the ways social conditions shape our beings, Lesley’s work focuses on overacting humanness to explore ideas about alienness and privilege. Their work draws from queer and feminist art practices, Chinese philosophy, Caribbean folkloric musical traditions, futurist perspectives, and ancestral knowledge. Their ongoing explorations with composition and improvisation are most notably documented in their ten-piece improvising chamber ensemble, The Living Collection (American Dreams Records). Other recent works include stilled leaf-chatter (2022), bird in its chest (2022), pooling light (2021), but I forced to mind my vision of a sky (2020), and she smashed the enclosure (2020).

In addition to their own work, Lesley can be heard in Myra Melford’s Fire and Water, David Leon’s Bird’s Eye, Anna Webber’s Shimmer Wince, the percussion co-operative The Forest, and co-led projects tombstar, vehicle / passenger, and History Dog.

Lesley’s work has been recognized by the ASCAP Foundation, Roulette Intermedium, and the Asian American Arts Alliance, and has been performed by International Contemporary Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, and JACK Quartet. They have collaborated with Tomeka Reid, William Parker, Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, Cory Smythe, Jen Shyu, Myra Melford, Shara Lunon, Chris Williams, Luke Stewart, Isabel Crespo Pardo, edi kwon, Zekkereya El-magharbel, David Leon, Adam O’Farrill, and others.