Anya Gorkova dives deep into love, lust, and the search for human connection at their sugar-sweet, interactive South Parade exhibition
From collecting up matches like they’re Pokemon and endlessly starting conversations that trail off into nothing, to the rise of the ‘situationship’ and the ghosters who disappear without a trace, dating in the year of our lord 2023 is hard. But, as is often the case, from great struggle comes exceptional creativity, which is certainly the case when it comes to Anya Gorkova’s new exhibition, Are You Seeing Anyone (co-organised by Robert Spragg).
Tucked away in Hatton Gardens at independent gallery South Parade, the London-based artist dives deep into the emotions that underpin the search for human connection, and turns out a series of mixed media works that you may have already spotted infiltrating your Instagram feed.
The space’s walls are dominated by tiny imperfect frames featuring shadowy, sugar-hued figures, all lined up like notches on a bedpost. All of them are different and yet basically the same – dotted with the kind of gaudy jewel stickers you’d plaster across your school books, spelling out the name of your crush and surrounding it with hearts. It’s almost as if Gorkova has gathered together all the people we’ve pinned our hopes on and later forgotten when the reality failed to match up with their promise.
Beyond the walls, there is an interactive element designed to bring people together – whether romantically or otherwise – in the form of a dating quiz (aesthetically pleasing pastel pens are provided). As well as asking the kind of small-talky questions you might find yourself subjected to when you score a new match (age, occupation, star sign), the questionnaire also encourages visitors to outline their perfect date, their dating green flags, and how many dates they prefer to go on before moving in for a snog.
“Behind the artificialities and externalities, we are all the same at the core – we are all humans and we want to love and be loved” – Anya Gorkova
Elsewhere, in the gallery’s Pepto Bismol-pink toilet, an old school CD Walkman blasts out a playlist featuring early-00s tracks like t.A.T.u banger “Not Gonna Get Us”, and ATB’s “9PM (Til I Come”. According to Gorkova, it was designed with your first teenage kiss in mind: “Imagine you are at one of your first parties, all of your friends are making out, and all you can think about is…kissing,” they explain.
The end result is a sweet sugar-rush of a show which somehow conjures up the kind of excitement and optimism going on an actual first date often can. Now open at South Parade until January 16, below we speak to Gorkova about the concept behind the show, their ideal date, and why Are You Seeing Anyone is the hottest place for a romantic rendezvous right now.
Hey Anya! First of all, you mention in the press release the show’s palette is inspired by the (extremely iconic) movie But I’m a Cheerleader. Can you explain why?
Anya Gorkova: Well first of all, it is my favourite film ever. It’s funny and simple, yet very serious and unpacks a few important questions. I think the way I work is very much the same. I watched it for the first time as a teenager and I remember thinking to myself “Wow, okay, so I am not the only one feeling that the ways in which society sometimes functions can be slightly… deranged?”
You’re definitely not the only one. So the shadowy figures that line the walls of the gallery… Is there any meaning to the number of them you created, and were you thinking of specific people when you were making them?
Anya Gorkova: There are 31 of each silhouette. It’s like a calendar month! And the title is “Everyday Girl-Boy-Theyfriend”, depending on the sculpture set. It is an open-to-interpretation type of work. Everyone is going to see what they want. I was lately thinking about relationships and how they’ve changed, most importantly how we've changed. And how technology, especially photography, affected the way we exist in the world.
The show is kind of about being seen, heard, and understood, and how that relates to dating and our romantic lives. I don’t know about you, but I feel like even though we see more of each other than ever before – via social media for example – it can often feel like none of us properly see each other any more, especially when dating. How do you feel about this?
Anya Gorkova: I agree! I think the image of oneself and the actual person behind it are two completely different people. Have you ever been texting with someone or observing them on social media and then you see them IRL and it feels like you met someone else? I believe that this gap between the image and the reality is where the secret lies. I feel we need to take less photographs and see people for what they really are – and they are beautiful!
Why did you want to make a mixtape? Can you talk me through some of the tracks on it and why you have included them?
Anya Gorkova: Since the show is about dating, I was thinking about romance and things we do when we are ‘in love’. Creating someone a mixtape is… One of those things. The work is called “Kissing Playlist” and I decided to install it in the loo of the gallery (isn't it the place for kisses?). There are two CDs that I burned and I come in to swap them throughout the duration of the show, and when I was curating them, I was thinking about that desire to kiss when you are a teenager. Imagine you are at one of your first parties, all of your friends are making out, and all you can think about is kissing. So the songs are very much taking you back to my own teenagehood in the 2000s. Tracks on there include t.A.T.u. “Not Gonna Get Us”, Avril Lavigne “Girlfriend”, Infernal “From Paris to Berlin”, Miley Cyrus “See You Again”, Gala, “Freed From Desire”, and ATB’s “9PM (Til I Come)”.
A lot of people have been posting the “Naughty Boy” work – it’s all over my Instagram. Can you tell me the meaning behind this piece?
Anya Gorkova: That was me! Well, the way I felt at the time. The meaning is simple – it’s something I had on my studio door for a few months. I put it there after I met curator Zully Adler early last year when I was going through some changes in my practice. I remember he said to me: “Anya, pull a prank on yourself”, so I did!
I am interested in naughtiness, in what it means to be naughty, when we grow up, in a playful way. There can be so many different interpretations! Everyone thought about their own ways of misbehaving. When looking at the work, it does feel like we have to conduct ourselves all the time and it is tiring! Maybe I am trying to give everyone's naughty child a credit. It’s important to acknowledge it.
Tell me about the questionnaire. It’s so fun! Why did you want to include this and more importantly, what are you going to do with everyone’s submissions?
Anya Gorkova: Because I wanted to have a conversation, and yes, I am keeping the questionnaires! It was so great to see that strangers started talking to each other while filling it out during the private view. It is not so often you get to talk to someone about “How many dates until the kiss”, especially when you happen to be at an art show. It is also about the function of a gallery as a space to bring people together. And perhaps not only for a cute Insta pic ((important, but maybe not so much anymore?), it can also spark a meaningful conversation between two real people in the present time.
Okay we told you ours now you tell us yours. Best date and worst date? What makes a good date recipe when it comes to things like the location and mood?
Anya Gorkova: Oh, it depends! And to be clear, I am not a serial dater myself, I maybe like one person a year if I’m lucky! (Capricorn Venus is really doing that to me and probably the fact that I am an INFJ too!!)
If we just met – daytime something, perhaps go see some galleries, talks, or lectures, with a chat over tea afterwards. I also don't like texting, as I find it slightly deceptive when building a connection with someone, especially at the very beginning. But it depends!
When actually dating? A long walk by the seaside or/ in nature, with a picnic or a nice local meal! I am very much into wellness, so another dream date is a spa weekend getaway. I don't know how I got so boring by the age of 25, but here we are. I'm also a big fan of jazz and classical music concerts! A movie can be cute. Adore a stay at home date.
I think for me it is about learning something new together. Or doing absolutely nothing – it’s so important to be able to do nothing together.
“To be clear, I am not a serial dater myself, I maybe like one person a year if I’m lucky! (Capricorn Venus is really doing that to me and probably the fact that I am an INFJ too!!)” – Anya Gorkova
What do you hope people take away from this exhibition?
Anya Gorkova: I guess as an artist my job is to ask the question. And I question the ways we currently exist in the world in this image deluge, in this photography-driven environment. How deceptive it can be in its own nature and how perception of oneself based on the images they created of themselves can be misleading. How, behind those artificialities and externalities, we are all the same at the core – we are all humans and we want to love and be loved.
Would you recommend visiting Are You Seeing Anyone on a date?
Anya Gorkova: Absolutely! This is the best date spot in town at the moment. Answering the questionnaire together is a very special experience and a way to get to know your date better. But beware… You might find out you're not a match!