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Dear Shaded Viewers,
fashion week in Milan has just started and one of the highlights of the week was meeting one of my myths: Rankin. The British photographer, film director and co-founder of Dazed & Confused magazine was in Milan yesterday presenting his latest masterpiece, a book called, simply, “F*ck Y*u,” at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan.
The book pays homage to one of the most used irreverent gesture: giving the finger to someone or flipping the bird if you like. With irony and impeccable sense of humour Rankin has signed the copies of his new book and was more than happy to talk about how this idea came up into his mind and where it could possibly take him in the future.
Q: When and why did you decide to do it?
I had been goading celebrities into giving me the finger for years. But what really gave me the idea it was a particular shot I had taken of Heidi Klum, published in a book, then become an iconic T-shirt and planted the seed for what was later to become F*ck Y*. The first time I saw someone wearing the t-shirt was when I was dropping my son off at school. And I was asking myself, what this is all about? Later even more shocking, while I was going on holiday to Thailand, it felt like every other person was wearing one of my photos of Heidi giving me the finger! My french gallerist suggested me to do it. So I looked into my archives and found a series of them. Also I was called by the Rolling Stones, they asked me to do their official pictures for their 50th anniversary. I asked them to give me their middle fingers, they all did, that picture was epic. When I later was ready to do the book I’ve asked for their permission, they instantly said yes, 'unless we can use it as pr pictures'. If the Rolling Stones are using it for their PR, I said to myself, it’s going to be an amazing project. Their shot is also my favourite picture.
Q: Did anybody refuse to appear in the book?
I’d love to tell you the names but I can’t. I can tell you that some publicists refuse to give me te permission finding excuses like, they don’t look good in the picture, it’s not appropriate, it’s insulting, etc… I’d love to send the publicists a book signed on the first page with a message ‘F–k you for not letting your person participate.’
Q: How did you make these people comfortable in doing this impolite gesture?
For example talking about Heidi, she always loves to do it. I don’t force people to do anything, it has to be spontaneous, everybody can see every kind of meaning. I don’t think it’s just a bad word, nowdays people use it when they wanna make fun of their friends, insulting their boss, maybe whispering, swearing at theirselves for something stupid they’ve done, saying to someone in the face, something a bit outrageous but direct. I think it could be even a way for expressing what you want, it’s a way of being direct. I love people being direct. The finger is expressive, but by no means simple.
Q: Have you seen any interesting fxxing selfies on instagram?
I’m anything but a social media person. Of couse I look at social media, but I’m not that much into them, on one side I just see tons of bad pictures, on the other sides I see people wanting to explore photography. I’d like to conduct an experiment, doing an instagram contest for fxxk you selfies, the best authors will be shot by me. Why not?
Q: What’s the trick for being a good photographer?
Not stealing anybody’s soul. I’m playful with people, but I don’t want to change their attitude. A photo is a self expression, it has to be taken seriously and still not seriously at all. It’s you in front of the camera but I have to make you forget about it. It has to be momentous in itself. Because everybody is again, fxxing different.
I invite you all at looking at all the stunning portraits featuring subjects as diverse as: Eva Green, Damian Lewis, Cheryl, Katy Perry, Robert Downey Jr., Rita Ohra, Damien Hirst, Liam Gallagher, Nicholas Hoult, The Rolling Stones, all flipping the bird left, right and centre, both the british and the american ways. I did it with him, so much fun. It felt so fxxing good.
F*ck Y*u published in September and distributed exclusively in store and online in the EU by Urban Outfitters, priced at £25. You can order your copy here: www.urbanoutfitters.com
Giorgia Cantarini
