“Think of your favourite young actor or pop star from the 1990s – invariably you are remembering a Rankin picture,“ says Ellen Stone, curator of the new exhibition Back in the Dazed which spotlights the legendary photographer’s era-defining photography from the 90s. Between founding Dazed in 1992 and the turn of the millennium, Rankin photographed over 200 iconic editorial shoots, featuring the superstars and countercultural figures who shaped the decade.

“We wanted to go against the grain of a lot of the elitism of magazines,” explained Rankin when he spoke to Dazed last year, recalling seminal moments behind the publication. “This is not a magazine,“ the first edition boldly proclaimed, “this is not a conspiracy to force opinion into the subconscious of stylish young people. A synthetic leisure culture is developing – plastic people force-fed on canned entertainment and designer food. Are you ready to be Dazed & Confused?“

In the wild yet utopian years of Brit art and Britpop that followed, Rankin shot the likes of Björk, Blur, Goldie, Thom Yorke and many more, all of which will be on display at 180 The Strand at the end of this month, steps away from Dazed’s current residence. “Those early years were great for experimentation. For me, just starting out, I was like a blank canvas. Because we were pretty naively fearless, we did things that ended up really changing culture,” said Rankin of his photography during this iconic period. Still captivating over three decades later, Back in the Dazed chronicles the photos that captured the zeitgeist of the 90s like no other.

Back in the Dazed is running at London’s 180 The Strand from May 29 until June 23, 2024.