“Dazed and Confused” magazine was the first time we began to see Rankin rise to fame in the mid nineties. As a co-founder along with Jefferson Hack, Rankin became a formidable force and quickly became an iconic British portrait photographer. He went from shooting Pulp and Blur to the Queen and Tony Blair to Kylie and Kate moss to name but a few. What made him earn this iconic status? The ability to cut through the subjects public persona to reveal the inner depth that lies hidden beneath.

Rankin Live is more two exhibitions running along side each other. Firstly there is the Retrospective which chart Rankin’s most famous images from his work as a photographer. The images include the glamour of his celebrity photos, the seductive erotic works and provocative self-portraits. From fashion and beauty to his Oxfam images. The show has his most famous photos along side his lesser know works from his recent personal projects. Retrospective follows the evolution of a career and can be shocking, amusing and seductive.

The second is Shoot Me which sees Rankin photograph 1000 members of the public in an interactive concept. Individuals can apply and are selected for their unique sense of style, character and life story. It takes 15 minutes to go through hair and makeup to shoot and then wall space. By doing this Rankin makes a comment on celebrity obsession. The shoot costs £50 which goes directly to the charity Oxfam.

Rankin Live runs from the 31st July to the 18th September at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. For more information on tickets and to apply go to www.rankinlive.com.