Image courtesy of Paul Hampartsoumian and via The last room hosts a purpose-built set and studio. It is his perfection and eye for detail, his understanding of what makes an immediate impact that creates these amazing visions. There’s no clever manipulation in Photoshop. All of Rancinan’s photographs are created in just one shot. Image via A video shows the making of these works and, through watching, the methods of the Rancinan studio become clearer. A small enclave contains the dress from the Salome photograph, installed on chequerboard flooring, exuding an air of mystery and intrigue. Image courtesy of Paul Hampartsoumian and via The barcode wallpaper in Family Watching TV has been theatrically extended onto the gallery wall – the exhibition becomes an installation piece in its own right. The methods of display and the clever curatorial decisions successfully bring the works to life and portray the dramatic themes of the series. It is an immersive exhibition that includes and captivates the visitor, displaying the 15 large format works cleverly integrated with props from Rancinan’s studio. Image courtesy of Paul Hampartsoumian and via In the next room, alongside the Batman Family works, a chandelier lies on the floor, straight from the wall into real life. The Future Tense presents Rancinan’s Wonderful World. The gallery ethos is about doing things properly and the lighting of this show is again exemplary. I first saw a Future Tense show last year and was immediately impressed, not only by the quality of the works, but also by the lighting. Following the exhibition round past his Saint Sebastians we come across a wall of Batman masks, dramatically lit to create strong and striking shadows. Rancinan’s works don’t whisper full of complex subtleties they scream. If this doesn’t grab your attention then who knows what will. Image courtesy of the artist and via Walking into the Londonewcastle Project Space, where this show is being held, one is immediately struck by a photograph of the head of Mickey Mouse served on a platter (a detail of his Salome). It was also a record sale for a living French photographer and showed the growing importance of Rancinan’s work and the high regard in which it is held among collectors and institutions. ![]() On 17 th May, in the Philips de Pury photography auction, his work Batman Family Girls set a new world record for him. Image courtesy of the artist and via Rancinan is already an international star having come to London fresh from La Triennale di Milano and it is now time for him to star in the UK as well. For Rancinan, photography is above all an instrument of thought, a militant perspective on our era. He delivers startling images of our contemporary world filtered through an ever-evolving aesthetic prism. Although different these new artworks are equally valid. Rancinan began his career as a war photographer, capturing images on the front line, travelling the world and bearing first-hand witness to events of historical importance. He is a photographer and the master of his camera. Even today, he can’t imagine the idea of doing anything else, saying he wouldn’t know how. Image courtesy of Paul Hampartsoumian and via Rancinan’s works have incredible visual impact he first picked up a camera when he was 15 years old and knew straight away that photography was for him. ![]() Image courtesy of the artist and via As committed witnesses of the metamorphoses affecting society, Rancinan, and writer, Caroline Gaudriault, have engaged in an ongoing dialogue, delivering their dual observations on a generation seeking relentless progress at any cost. ![]() His photographs are about not taking everything at face value and the importance of individuality. Ultimately though, the joke is on us as Rancinan peels back the charade behind which these characters hide to look at the reality. Those in the works are the Moderns – people today who incessantly use electronic devices and who idealise celebrities and iconic figures, longing to lead their lives and play their roles. The works tell the story of a humanity that is obsessed with the cult of celebrity and guided only by an absolute desire for prescribed happiness. The Wonderful World series has never before been seen in the UK it is the final part of Rancinan’s phenomenal Trilogy of the Moderns, a series that has been seven years in the making. Image courtesy of the artist and via Although Rancinan is represented by Opera Gallery, The Future Tense is responsible for mounting this museum-quality exhibition. The Shoreditch exhibition of Gérard Rancinan’s Wonderful World is one such exception. I tend not to write about exhibitions with which I am directly involved but every rule has an exception.
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