Review of Private Time and Public Convenience
By Dominic Leclerc, June 2003

Peter Remke's slide-show Private Time and Public Convenience is a fascinating interrogation of self. We see the artist in a series of images of himself alone in public spaces. He records himself through photography - an attempt to freeze time, to capture the essence of a moment in time, to witness himself.

Indeed, this series of stills is haunted with a proliferation of mirrors and reflections. Remke is seen in public spaces, yet he remains alone, emphasised by the strangely alien and monochrome spatial surroundings. There is a heightened sense of realism to the images - bile greens, steel blues, that reminds me of the work of Wolfgang Tillmans and the film-maker Lynne Ramsey.

Reminiscent of the writings of Cathy Caruth, Remke's collection of images explores the need to witness and to record, to dig deeper into himself. Yet the piece is imbued with a deep sense of irony - his quest to interrogate his private world occurs in anesthetised, de-personalised, and thoroughly public spaces - in this case, toilets.

There is both humour and sadness in this motif. The personal quest is inverted, with a strong sense of the absurd. A strong sense of time and its impact also run through this work - at one moment, a 'moving' figure is half-caught in the lens, reminding us of the external motion outside the artist's internal musings. The outside world continues.

This slide-show captures the artist's personal, emotional landscape in a public, mocking environment. It questions both our public and private selves, and the dichotomy between the two.

Dominic Leclerc is a theatre director who has worked with Frantic Assembly, the National Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Riverside Studios and the Old Vic