Being able to admire the shots of photographer Rankin is always a real pleasure for me!!!
I still remember the first time I was able to admire his pictures in London. I was immediately taken by what I saw and I soon fell under the spell of these offbeat photos, full of humor and which, in spite of everything, gave a very accurate vision of things.
So, his look at Kate Moss allowed me to understand what was so special about her and that is what shines through, even in her trashiest photos: a truth. And that feeling has never gone away. On the contrary, it has been confirmed and strengthened over the years.
Today, the 44-year-old British photographer is exhibiting some thirty photographs, most of them unpublished, at the A-Galerie in the 16th arrondissement until April 17, 2010. Mostly nude photographs, these pictures are emblematic of Rankin’s style and show us a Heidi Klum covered in chocolate or Damien Hirst with his face wrapped in bacon. His nude photos are in no way academic, on the contrary they are charged with a disturbing but joyful eroticism highlighting the body. There are also pictures of Kate Moss, Heidi Klum or his wife Tuuli.
But beyond nudity, his favorite theme, stronger photos are exposed through a series on women where we see them a little abused: lying on the road, on fire, as a woman-trunk or naked in a supermarket cart.
This exhibition is also an opportunity to discover Rankin’s two latest publications: « Heidilicious » or Heidi Klum in all her splendor and « Rankin’s Cheeky ».
With his recognizable style, John Rankin Waddell, known as Rankin, is one of the most talented fashion photographers of his generation. He has signed numerous covers for prestigious fashion magazines (German Vogue, Harpers and Queen, Arena, GQ, Citizen K) and participated in many fashion series. He also paid tribute to fashion photography by reproducing seven iconic fashion photographs through the project Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion. In 1991, he created with Jefferson Hack the magazine Dazed & Confused then launched his own quarterly magazine « Rank » in 2000. He is also the editor of « Another Magazine » and more recently of « Another Man ».
But this all-rounder of photography is not limited to fashion photography, he is also a talented portraitist. From Kate Moss to Queen Elizabeth II of England, Tony Blair or George Clooney, the greatest personalities have passed under his lens. He also likes to stage himself sometimes under the features of Blondie or by hiding behind the lapel of his jacket.
But no one else knows how to highlight the anonymous, as in the Dove campaign where he himself chose to photograph women from real life or for the Rankin Live project where he maps England through the portraits of 1500 anonymous people. This eclectic photographer is also a committed photographer who has participated in several humanitarian campaigns, notably for Oxfam.
Rankin may be excessively talented, a trendsetter and a sharp eye, but he is still human, quirky but deeply human.
« Eat me Naked » By Rankin from March 05 to April 17, 2010
A-Gallery
12, rue Léonce Reynaud – 75116 Paris
www.a-galerie.fr
Founded in September 2009 by Arnaud Adida, A-Galerie is the first private gallery devoted to photography and contemporary art in the Alma district.
Located between the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint-Laurent Foundation and the Palais de Tokyo, the gallery made a name for itself with its first exhibition devoted to Martin Schoeller.
She is currently exhibiting at Art-Paris at booth B2, where photographs by Martin Schoeller, David LaChapelle, Albert Watson, Nick Brandt, and the sculptor Sylvie Mangaud are on display.
Photo credit: Rankin with the courtesy of A-Galerie
Marie-Odile Radom
