For the series “Tankstellen” (1998) Peters drove across Germany, taking photographs of places of temporary rest – petrol stations – during his breaks from driving. As refuges for travelers they condense to form nexuses of brands removed from city life and form autonomous social islands on the edges of society and its city borders.
Peters stages his petrol stations in crude, colorful neon light and emphasizes their cool white uniform architecture set against a deep black background. Through his deliberate removal of all logos and brand insignia they are imbued with an aura and given a timeless appearance. They are simple, practical and downright pre-fabricated according to a set of models: A consumer good that all viewers will find difficult to evade. In this series, Peters points to the exploitation of natural resources and fossil fuels for the capital gains of global corporations and makes clear that capitalism and its brands have been inked into our retinas even with the logos removed. As regards theme and color, Peters finds his role models in art history – for example in American Modernism. At the same time he highlights our alienation and loss of identity as symptoms of consumer society.
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