About
Hi! I’m Jillian Lerner, a visual artist based in New York City. I work primarily with film and digital photography, along with textile-based processes and alternative printing methods like screen printing and gelatin impressions. My work often explores themes of spirituality, home, and shared memory. I first fell in love with photography in high school after taking a black-and-white darkroom class. That experience eventually led me to study Photography and Video at the School of Visual Arts, where I began expanding my practice into more experimental and tactile forms.
You’ve had a pretty busy few months! What have you been working on lately? Is there anything you’re excited to share with us right now?
Almost a month ago, my close friend, Jaysa Jordan, and I curated a show called “At Home”. It was a two-day exhibition where we invited artists to explore what it means to belong, carry, and create the idea of home. The show took place in an empty apartment, transforming the space into a temporary gallery for collective reflection. Besides the exhibition, I have also been working on a continuing project that deals with God, grief, and connection. This involves self-portraits, curated still lives, and photographing in places of worship. Reflecting on my earliest work in college, I have always found it carries themes of spirituality, grief, connection, and love.
I got to see the At Home show, and it was honestly so beautiful. I really hope it’s the first of many you curate. What inspired you to put that exhibition together?
The inspiration for “At Home” was connecting my own upbringing and nostalgia for it. I wanted to recreate what was once my home, as time is fleeting and memory is forever.
The nostalgia was definitely present. Changing the subject, how did you first discover photography? I don’t think we’ve ever had that conversation.
As a child, I would spend hours going through my mom’s family albums. I loved the texture the images held, being all analog and dating back to the 1950s. That’s also how I was introduced to many of my late relatives and traced their stories through the photographs and through my mom’s memories. Years later, I was gifted one of my father’s old cameras and began shooting mostly nature scenes before moving on to portraits of my friends and family.
Same here, I grew up flipping through old family photos too. What place does analog photography occupy in your life today?
If I could shoot everything on 4x5 film, I absolutely would. While I appreciate the convenience of digital cameras, nothing compares to the care and patience required for film. I love shooting 4x5 because the process is slow and deliberate, and it can be frustrating at times. I become almost obsessive, checking focus repeatedly and making sure the exposure is just right. Even when the camera shifts slightly while loading a film holder, I’ve learned to trust the process, and most of the time it works out.
How do you feel your process has developed as you’ve grown as an artist?
I think photography is a very ritualistic practice, any art medium is, but especially photography. I like walking and sitting down for a while and just listening to my heart if I can focus enough. After meditating, and once I hear “it,” I run and gather and write and talk, and plan and do. Sometimes working on a project can be an overwhelming feeling of grief. I try to pray, and sometimes that results in me going to a church or a quiet place to just sit and cry. As artists, we need that quiet place to drown out all the noise. When I allow myself that space, I find inspiration in the strangest places.
And since I already know this about you, you’re an amazing printer, I have to ask: how do you usually approach the whole film developing and enlarging process?
I don’t care much for developing 35mm film, but working with 4x5 large-format film is both the most relaxing and the most stressful experience for me. I refuse to use a developing tank. After one failed attempt with a Paterson multi-reel system that left me with a half-developed image, I never went back. Instead, I prefer the old-school method, setting up in complete darkness with four metal boxes and a high-volume timer. There’s something exhilarating about being completely immersed in that dark space, counting in my head alongside the timer, and waiting to see what emerges.
The darkroom experience is so special. How do you look at analog compared to digital, and when do you choose one over the other?
I’m not much of a fan of editing in Photoshop, so film is easier for me at the end of the day. The colors I want are already present in the negatives, and once I import them into Lightroom, I usually only need to make a few small adjustments. There is nothing like the excitement of finishing a roll of film and patiently waiting to see the images. I use digital primarily when shooting events for work.
As we wrap up, who are the artists that have inspired you the most throughout your journey?
Absolutely, David Lynch. I was first introduced to his work through Twin Peaks. I remember watching it for the first time and thinking, How can I get to that place and create art like this? If you haven’t seen his YouTube video on transcendental meditation, I highly recommend it. During my freshman year workshop class, Algis Balsys introduced me to Joel Peter Witkin. Witkin's work inspired me to pick up large-format film and to spend more time with my still lifes and portraiture. I’m also deeply influenced by Francesca Woodman, Anaïs Nin, and Jonas Mekas, all of whom have shaped the way I think about art, identity, and the act of creating itself.
Thanks so much for chatting with us, Jill. Truly an honor to have you.