Photography Exhibition Rankin, Naked

Rankin is known for his nude photography, having photographed some of the most iconic nude images of the nineties and noughties, including supermodels such as Kate Moss and Helena Christensen. More recently, his work in this genre has exploded back into the public eye due to the publication of a series of personal and intimate nudes created in collaboration with Heidi Klum, in the book Heidi Klum by Rankin. Currently on view at Kunsthuis Amsterdam, Naked is a new commercial show showcasing new works by photographer Rankin in over five years.

The selection of images presented in Naked takes a darker, more lavish and less guarded route than we’ve previously seen from Rankin’s nude work, as it explores the darkness and eroticism of the nude, but always shot with Rankin’s signature sense of humour. Rankin says: “I’m very excited by my recent work, it feels the purest it has been since the 90’s, albeit much darker. This aesthetic always excites me, so the shots have an elegance to them, but there has been no retouching or over-perfecting in post. They are a raw realization of my fascination with the erotic and death. The two conceits seem to be more intertwined in my imagination as I get older. I think it has a lot to do with the control I have over my concupiscence. I think I finally have lust where I want it to be to create great work.”

Using the term naked, this exhibition plays on the notion 
of public and private expressions. The nude being a well-established artistic tradition, Rankin’s images rather explore the fun and the taboo of exposing private nudity and sexuality. His photographs strip away the traditional nude in the search for something more brazen and candid.

www.kunsthuisamsterdam.nl