From Catwalk To Congo - Rankin At The National Theatre

Fashion photographer Rankin's latest exhibition is a collaboration with Oxfam, sponsored by The Co-operative Bank, to raise awareness of the plight of people displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The temporary camps in Mugunga are now home to thousands as a result of the incredible violence taking place in the region.

Rankin's well-known portrait style, usually reserved for fashion industry celebrities, has been put to good use here, photographing these courageous people, suffering but not suppressed. Aptly representing the resilience of the Mugunga camp residents the name of the exhibition is Cheka Kidogo which means 'laugh a little' in Swahili.

Photo by Andrew Davies

From: Oxfam News Blog, 20oct08

"Rankin swaps fashion world for African war-zone
Famous for his portraits of Kate Moss, Kylie and the Queen, photographer Rankin has joined forces with Oxfam to bring the faces of those caught up in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo to London’s South Bank.

Opening tomorrow (21 October 2008), his exhibition – sponsored by the Cooperative Bank and hosted outside the National Theatre – sees Rankin’s celebrity portraiture being used with entirely different subjects – the residents of Mugunga camp, home to 17,000 people displaced by Congo’s harrowing violence."

Further Info:
Full Press Release / National Theatre