29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery is pleased to present the online exclusive exhibition ‘Flowers by Rankin’.

A photographer who is often synonymous with celebrity portraiture and high-profile beauty campaigns, Flowers by Rankin explores the other side of Rankin’s artistic output focused on still life.

During 2020 Rankin found himself, for the first time in his 30-year career, closed off from his studio and collaborators. Forced to find a way to create works without face-to-face interaction, the portrait photographer turned to nature, creating two series of artworks entitled Embrace and An Exploding World.

Embrace has been created at a time when we were all disconnected and showcases a brand-new series of artworks created by Rankin during lockdown 2020. In isolation, away from his London photographic studio, Rankin’s response is an empathetic portrayal of what a lot of us were feeling in isolation. Close-up and intimate, this series of images reflects on the state of the nation and Rankin’s own self-reflexive take on isolation and lock-down through the photography of flowers.

“When we all just needed a hug, so many of us couldn’t even be in the same room, never mind touch each other.”

Evoking a sense of loneliness, each of these images finds a form of strength or hope in its darkness and separation. Through the process of creation, Rankin found a way to embrace both being and working alone, alongside using natural imagery to act as a cypher for the wider world.

“Self-isolation gave me an opportunity to really focus on this work as I’d imagined it. What’s interesting about these images is how much they reflect my personal state of mind, whilst also representing my approach to the world. In taking each picture I realised right from the beginning that I was treating them like a portrait. Whether that was of single flowers or groups, I couldn’t help but give them characters. Search for their personalities and try to bring them to life.“ – RANKIN

A companion series to Embrace, the An Exploding World series explores the aesthetic of destruction, through apocalyptic imagery reminiscent of nuclear explosions or comets. The creation of which became for the photographer an intimate take on artistic expression, frustration during lockdown isolation, and a celebration of the expressive creativity that emerged. This title is an intensely personal project for Rankin; one immeasurably entangled with his own mental health.

“For years now I’ve been obsessed with the perfection of a dandelion seed head. Seen as weeds, they grow absolutely everywhere, especially in the city. And during a time of great stress, there was comfort in them. Especially as growing up the idea of blowing them was associated with making a wish.” says Rankin.

Taking dandelions – symbols of courage, growth, hope, and healing – and setting them alight, Rankin found his own visual metaphor for how he was feeling and for the state wider world around him. However, these works are not just about destruction.

“When fire burns through the forest, the old growth burns away to allow space for the new forest to emerge. Through burning these dandelions, I was clearing space mentally. Finding a new outlet for my creativity.”