An exhibition by Paisley-born world-class photographer Rankin will make its Scottish debut at this weekend's Big Tent festival.

From Congo with Love is a series of portraits inspired by the love and solidarity of ordinary people living amid conflict, which the Scots photographer witnessed first hand on a trip to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with Oxfam.

The exhibition forms part of the festival's "Moving with Africa" theme, which also includes talks from Adelaide Sosseh - who is the co-chair of GCAP, the world's largest anti-poverty group - Malcolm Fleming of Oxfam Scotland and Chikondi Mpokosa, Oxfam's Global Education Advisor, from Malawi.

Eastern Congo is one of the most violent places in the world. Two million people are displaced, but the majority don't live in camps. Instead, they live with families who have opened their homes to those - in many cases complete strangers - who have lost everything.

Rankin visited a small town called Sange in eastern DRC where he met host families who were housing one to three other families in small, two-roomed homes. The town was hit by further tragedy this month, when a truck carrying fuel overturned and exploded, killing around 230 people - including dozens of children who rushed to scoop up the leaking petrol, and football fans at a local pub watching Holland play Brazil in the World Cup.

Rankin's portraits focus on love- and its ability to survive in the toughest of environments. Romantic love, mothers' love and the pain of love lost are all represented in portraits shot against the same trademark white background that Rankin uses with celebrity clients, including Kate Moss and the Queen.

Rankin said:

"This is the first time these pictures have been exhibited in Scotland and The Big Tent feels like the ideal venue and occasion, where people are coming together to recognise that, as humans, wherever we are, we have a shared goal.

What I've always been trying to do is to take the victim out of the equation. Take that feeling of pity out of it and say these are human beings we actually just owe it to them on a really basic level to be supportive of them and to try and help them.

This collection is about love: something that binds us all and is at the heart of what it means to be human."

The portraits and stories of 'From Congo with Love' are published in a coffee table book 'We Are Congo', which is available to buy from selected Oxfam shops or the website.

You can view photos from the exhibition here.