Rankin Live! is a radical twist on the traditional exhibition format featuring two shows in one. These include Shoot Me Rankin, the ongoing photo shoot of 1000 Britons, whose portraits will be immediately included in the exhibition, and Rankin Retrospective, a collection of 600 images selected from a vast portfolio of work. Both Shoot Me Rankin and Rankin Retrospective will be hosted by Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, between 31 July – 18 September.

Press Release

Rankin Live!
A photographic event unlike any other

31 July – 18 September
Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London

The must-see event of the summer, Rankin Live! is a radical twist on the traditional exhibition format featuring two shows in one: Shoot Me Rankin, the ongoing photo shoot of 1000 individuals, whose portraits will be immediately included in the exhibition, and the Retrospective, including 600 images selected from a vast portfolio of work.

Rankin Retrospective

From catwalk to Congo, Rankin has produced an enormous and diverse body of work. This first ever retrospective of his twenty-two year career, is a museum-scale show, featuring an extraordinary
collection of beauty, erotica, celebrity, charity and commercial images, as well as more personal photographs. Unprecedented in its scope, Rankin Retrospective charts the evolution of one of the most prolific and influential photographers of our time.

Shoot Me, Rankin!

Shoot Me, Rankin! is the dynamic live shoot element that puts the public in front of Rankin’s lens to create his own personal portrait of the UK today. 1000 Britons chosen for their unique sense of style, their character or their life stories will be photographed by Rankin during the exhibition in an open studio and have their portraits immediately added to RankinLive.

RANKIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Synonymous with dynamic and intimate portraiture, the photographer Rankin has shot everyone from royalty to refugees. His powerful images are part of contemporary iconography, and mix a cross section of his own personal interests with commercial campaigns, from Nike to Women’s Aid. His work is regularly exhibited in galleries around the world from Sao Paolo to Moscow, London to LA.
Rankin first came to prominence when he co-founded style bible Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack. One of the most important magazines of the 90’s, it established its stylists in the fashion elite, broke some of today’s top designers and nurtured the budding careers of a generation of creative photographers. Earning a reputation for creative portraiture and a talent for capturing the character and spirit of his subjects, Rankin quickly became a formidable force in photography, shooting Brit-pop bands including Pulp and Blur and darlings of pop such as Kylie and Madonna. Rankin’s career continued to blossom and covers for German Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Arena and GQ quickly followed.

His body of work includes some of the most influential politicians, popular musicians, revered artists and celebrated models since the early 90’s. However, Rankin also continued to take on projects that featured ordinary people, often questioning established notions of beauty and causing controversy and igniting debates along the way. Rankin is affiliated with a number of charities and has created hard-hitting campaigns for Women’s Aid and Oxfam to name but a few. In 2008, Rankin held an exhibition of his images of refuges in the Congo on the South Bank in London, which helped raise money and awareness for Oxfam’s projects in the Congo.

A number of books of Rankin’s work have been published, including a retrospective of his work, Visually Hungry, a collection of his most recognisable portraits Celebritation, a book of Rankin’s images of his favourite model Tuuli Tuulitastic and most recently a book of his advertising work from 2005 to 2009 called Sold Out.

In addition to his photography career, Rankin co-directs music videos, commercials and feature films with Chris Cottam. Their debut film, The Lives of Saints, penned by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas writer Tony Grisoni, enjoyed success on the festival circuit and won the grand jury prize at the Salento International Film Festival. Rankin and Chris continue to direct commercial projects and have created music videos for among others, Nelly Furtado, Robyn and The Enemy.

Rankin lives in London with his fiancé Tuuli and his 13 year old son Lyle.

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