A performance-lecture and conversation on spectacle, performance, and the online stage in the age of generative AI.

StarQuest will be on view from 7–8PM; Man will present an accompanying performance-lecture at 8PM, introduced by curator Alice Scope. The performance will be followed by a conversation between Man and Scope.

bitforms gallery, SOOT gallery, and the Future Humans program at the Berggruen Institute are pleased to co-present StarQuest, a performance-lecture by the artist Maya Man. StarQuest is a generative, software-based body of work made in collaboration with generative AI that dives into the high-stakes world of youth competitive dance. Inspired by Man’s own childhood as a competitive dancer, AI-generated dancers glide and spin across the screen in an ever-shifting sequence, pausing to share their anxieties in confessionals akin to the reality TV show Dance Moms. What emerges is an uneasy mix of sincerity and simulation.

The performance-lecture, written and performed by the artist, integrates her generative work, online content, and choreography to consider the parallels between competition dance culture in America and today’s algorithmic ecosystem that encourages a quantifiable performance of self.

StarQuest was first co-presented by Triple Canopy and Feral File in New York City in November 2025 at Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center with curator Nora O’Murchu. Special thank you to Mackenzie Davenport, Camille Wong, Eden Reinfurt, and Tina Tarighian.

Participants

Maya Man is an artist focused on contemporary identity culture on the internet. Her work examines dominant narratives around femininity, authenticity, and the performance of self. She is online at mayaontheinter.net.

Alice Scope is a media art curator and researcher with a focus on artificial intimacy, human-AI relationships, and collective intelligence. Her expertise lies in building speculative worlds through XR, gaming, blockchain, and performance, frequently engaging in cross-disciplinary collaborations.