Mirror Images
Two flat-screen monitors hang side-by-side on a wall at eye-level. The monitors become bathroom mirrors in which a series of alternating people are seen from the waist up. They check their appearances, apply make-up and carry out their cleansing rituals, with their gaze always directed at their reflected self. They wash their hands and faces, brush their teeth, squeeze out pimples, shave, brush and dry their hair. The actions reflect their personal hygiene activities over the course of an entire day, from morning until evening. Before leaving the imaginary bathroom, each person turns off the light. The next person then turns it back on and appears in front of the mirror.
Eight girls and women appear on the left-hand monitor, while nine boys and men are seen on the right. A cleaning lady appears on both monitors and polishes the glass.
The intimate activities seem authentic and confront the viewers with themselves, making them reflect on their own processes and rituals of personal hygiene.
The work was first shown publicly as part of the exhibition “Body-Bilder” (Body Images, 2005) in the Galerie Gabriele Rivet in Cologne.