MYA CANVER
4th February - 1st March
DANCING AMERICA
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
An exploration of digital dysmorphia and our post-pandemic relationship with media consumption and internet culture, examining their impact on global legacies of social dancing and dance music. This show unravels the entanglements that connect pop culture to Black America on digital and physical dance floors around the world.
Mya showcases found footage considering the value of social dancing as “the people’s tradition.” Alongside internet artefacts from the rise of Tik Tok dance, “The Renegade.” Together, they create visual contradictions reflecting on disillusionment, authorship, and trend.
At each phone you are invited to watch, scroll, like, or capture yourself to contribute to this show’s digital footprint.
Throughout the month of February, this show will backdrop conversations about archives & ownership, media censorship & distribution, and most importantly, the need for preserving dance floors.
-writing by Mya Cavner
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
02.20.2025
Mya screened a Chicago-made documentary that tells us the story of how the international genre was born in the abandoned buildings and garages of Chicago’s youth in the 1970s. Featuring deep cuts and stories from the OGs it showcases how House first came to the UK in cities like Manchester and London, then to the rest of the world.
Throughout the screening, the audience was invited to move around, dance & lay down.
Following the screening Mya led a movement workshop responding to the movement in the screening to a DJ set by Aisha Odera.
OPENING NIGHT
OPENING NIGHT
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
03.01.2025
ARCHIVE MOTHERS
This panel discussion was the closing event for Mya’s exhibition. Mya & a panel of special guests discussed Black Archives. They presented for consideration themes of ‘the archive’, offering insights on how to build your own and the importance of documenting marginalized experiences.
The panel included:
Jess Rowley (@jess_row)
Rayan Elnayal (@rayan_elnayal) & Heba Tabidi (@tabideee) of Space Black (@spaceblack__ )
Mariam Adesokan of Tint Library (@tintlibrary)
About the Artist
Mya is a Chicago-raised, London based artist & curator whose work delves into the intersections of “Black Movement.” She explores movement beyond the physical body, encompassing migration, dance, archives, spatiality, and sound. Her body of work examines the relationship between the foundations of dance music, raving as a cultural practice and visual culture, centering the Black American experience within an international context.
Currently featured in this year’s New Contemporaries alongside Edith Liben, they challenge conventional ideas about dancing, asserting, “we believe if you have a body, you are a dancer.” Through subculture as a tool, they forge new community spaces for movement, play and experimentation across workshops, publications and exhibitions.