Eyes. You have two of them (unless you're a cyclops). They are from which you cry, and from which you see. Perhaps you are looking through them at the internet right now--perhaps at this very blog post. Rankin, the world renowned photographer, sees eyes with his own eyes, and photographs them, turning the camera on the very thing that makes a photographer a photographer. It's symbolism, folks, and it's downright colorful.

Rankin's show "Eyescapes" opens with a private viewing at RANKIN Gallery, 8070 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles on August 3rd, 2011, and the exhibition opens to the public the next day. The hyper-close-ups strip away everything but the pupils and the irises and studies their electric inner-workings. Rankin's eyeball photos are mesmerizing in the way that you are mesmerized by a loved one's gaze. See them in big size; they're pretty spectactular. Rankin's known for his celebrity images, and his risqué images, but these photos will follow you around the gallery like no other.

The exhibition, which was showcased in London in 2007 and 2008, comes to L.A. just in time for the launch of Rankin's Swatch watches, which feature the eyescapes.

- Maxwell Williams