Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Bad Bunny, a major exhibition exploring the visual, political, and spiritual histories of Caribbean popular music through contemporary art. Framing music and dance as revolutionary practices, the exhibition foregrounds their role in collective liberation and resistance rooted in histories of colonial oppression.
Dancehall and reggaetón emerge here not only as musical genres, but as cultural practices—powerful expressions of resistance and joy tied to the Black Atlantic’s long-standing traditions of dance and music as tools of protest and emancipation.
Among the more than 40 participating artists—including Isaac Julien, Edra Soto, Alberta Whittle, Carolina Caycedo, and Lee Scratch Perry— it feature French artist Aïda Bruyère . Her presence underscores the transnational circulation of dancehall culture and its vibrant resonance in Paris. Commissioned by the MCA, Bruyère’s work explores identity, performance, and the politics of representation, drawing on the aesthetics of nightlife, femininity, and subcultural codes. A specially commissioned mixtape by Juan Rivera further guides visitors through the evolution of reggaetón in Panama, linking its historical roots to its global influence today.
About the artist
Born in Dakar, Bruyère lives and works in Paris. A graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Paris (2020), she has presented her work at the Contemporaines de Nîmes (2024), Galerie Pact (Paris, 2023), and the Palais de Tokyo (2022), as well as in group exhibitions such as 100% L’Expo at La Villette (2022) and Sweet Harmony/Rave Today at the Saatchi Gallery (2019). In 2019, she received the Grand Prize at the Salon de Montrouge. Working across publishing, installation, performance, and video, Bruyère explores how identities—individual and collective—are constructed and performed in public space, with a particular focus on dance, feminine codes, and, more recently, makeup as a tool for emancipation.
Supported by Albertine Visual Arts (formely Etants Donnés), a program of Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation.