On March 19, the exhibition ‘Dear David: A Surveillance Love Story,’ curated by Anika Meier, opened at Berlin gallery Schlachter 151. The artist OONA appeared in person for the opening but remained completely anonymous through her clothing, consistent with the theme of the exhibition. Anonymity is a central motif of her Art. In the video and image works, the artist is constantly present, yet her face is never visible.

 The material originates from the surveillance cameras of the London Underground. This was made possible by David, who has been working for London Transport since 29 years, which allows him to release footage to people exercising their right to information within the legal 14 day period. To obtain the recordings from David, OONA meticulously documented her outfits, her routes and her exact travel times.

Although David and OONA have never met in person or spoken to each other, they exchanged over 400 emails. This anonymous, purely digital connection served as inspiration for OONA. In addition to the performances in the subway, the exhibition displays the email correspondence with David. After receiving her personal data and the required documents, David used various recognition programs to follow OONA through the stations using object tracking while the identities of bystanders were anonymized. In this “love letter” OONA looks through the lens of surveillance technology to find and appreciate the human on the other side.

Dedicating an exhibition to someone she has never met underscores the sincerity of her artistic approach. OONA is not merely focused on herself or her appearance on camera. Instead, she finds joy in the process of obtaining the material from David, allowing this unique exchange to guide her inspiration in new directions.