Rankin debuts in Portugal with PURE

The breathtaking exhibition is particularly special as Rankin’s debut in Portugal and one you shouldn’t miss out on.

Rankin is a respected and influential British photographer who started his career in 1987, he went on to co-found Dazed & Confused magazine with Jefferson Hack back in 1991 which catapulted the London-based photographer into portraiture and fashion.

By the mid-90s Rankin’s career was going well, and he was leading the British explosion of art, music and fashion scene through his impactful photography. Since then, Rankin has become one of the most celebrated names in entertainment photography, where he has photographed the world’s most famous faces such as the likes of David Bowie, Madonna, the Queen, Jude Law, Adele and Kate Moss, to name a few.

Rankin has also directed contemporary film projects, published more than 40 books, such as AnOther and AnOther Man and launched the biannual fashion, culture and lifestyle print magazine and digital platform, Hunger.

His photographs have been published in several international magazines, including Elle, Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone and Wonderland, and exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Positive about Portugal

Rankin’s latest exhibition in the Algarve, PURE, goes beyond anything we have seen before from the photographer and showcases the purest his photography can be and the overwhelming beauty of doing so.

When asked about the opening of the exhibition, Rankin shared with The Portugal News “My visit to the Algarve for the exhibition opening at In The Pink was wonderful. The region is stunning, with its breathtaking coastline, charming architecture, and warm, inviting people. The natural beauty and tranquillity was an amazing backdrop to the exhibition.”

When it comes to exhibiting his work in Portugal for the first time, Rankin confided that “Having my first exhibition in Portugal is both exciting and humbling. Portugal, with its vibrant culture, rich history, and artistic passion, is a great place to present my work. I appreciate the opportunity to connect with a new audience and experience their interpretations and reactions to my work. It was just ace to visit the Algarve as well, I would love to spend more time there.”

Light and Darkness

The selection of works chosen are of topics that have fascinated the photographer throughout his professional career. “PURE offers an interaction between light and darkness, life and death and through works that create a broad aesthetic dialogue. As I get older, all of these ideas become more intertwined in my imagination. Such ideas are not mutually exclusive to me and I am able to find one within the other.”

In which he added that “To show my new works on flowers in conjunction with portraits and images from the couture and beauty industry is to draw a thematic line of intent. I always strive to seek reality in beauty. The real person behind any image I make. This is the purest my photography can be."

Rankin told The Portugal News that “The inspiration behind PURE stemmed from the desire to explore themes of vulnerability, rawness, and authenticity in human forms and expressions. I chose these themes because they have always intrigued me, and I wanted to delve deeper into capturing and portraying unfiltered human emotions. I believe that there is an inherent beauty in being genuine, which PURE intended to explore and celebrate.”

The Beauty of Flowers

When asked about his favourite piece in the exhibition, Rankin said “Picking a favourite piece is always a challenge, as each work holds a unique place for me. However, if I had to choose, it would be my flower photos. I’d tried so hard to photograph flowers for such a long time and when I cracked it, my approach was to take portraits of them.”

“I was creating something uniquely of a moment where as a photographer there is always part of you that’s always trying to take a picture that reflects the moment you are in and I really love the pictures because they make me feel something even now when I see them.”

Rankin revealed that “While he is always excited about upcoming projects, there is one I’m particularly looking forward to this year. I’ll be working on a big 90’s show. If you follow my social media, I will be posting updates.”

To end the interview, Rankin kindly shared his views on AI generative photography and if he believes it is changing the photography industry for the better, he expressed that “AI generative photography is fascinating, it’s transforming the photography industry in many ways. For me, it opens up new possibilities and innovations in how we create and perceive images. However, I believe that the human element - the personal connection, intuition, and emotion we bring to the process - remains irreplaceable in photography. It's a balance, using AI as a tool whilst retaining the human touch that makes photography so special.”

In The Pink Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 11am to 7pm, and Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm. For more information on In The Pink Gallery, please visit https://www.in-the-pink.com/. To keep up to date with Rankin please visit https://www.rankinphoto.co.uk/ or follow @rankinarchive on Instagram.

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes