Viewing How Rankin defined Cool Brittania with gritty, raw images of youth

He’s photographed them all – and his pictures have been the making of some of them – from cult celebrities to supermodels and celluloid stars, between 1991 – 2001 Rankin defined Cool Britannia as the co-founder and Photo editor at Dazed & Confused magazine.

Now iconic works by Rankin from that prolific decade are gathered for the first time in an exhibition: over 200 editorial shoots for the magazine, pictures that spoke a thousand words, that made as many statements about politics as they did about fashion.

Dazed’s uncompromising, gritty and gung-ho approach heralded a new era for representation that set new standards of who could be seen in a magazine, and how: Rankin brought in LGBTQIA+ subjects and photographed working-class youth, as well as taking defining images of soon-to-be mega stars on the cusp of global fame. Dazed was the chance to give youth an independent voice and reclaim power, setting a precedent for other media. It’s incredible to witness this recent history and feel how much has changed – and what hasn’t.