bitforms 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 will be on view from 7–8PM. Man will present an accompanying performance-lecture at 8PM.

The performance will be followed by a conversation between Man and curator Alice Scope.

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.

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.

Alice Scope is a media art curator and researcher with a focus on artificial intimacy, human-AI relationships, and collective intelligence.

Future Humans is an interdisciplinary research initiative focused on exploring new configurations of life in the 21st century. Future Humans was founded in 2023 as a program of the Berggruen Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in Los Angeles, Beijing, and Venice.