Gillian Laub

Gillian Laub is an American photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on documentary storytelling, social justice, and intimate portraiture. Laub graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in comparative literature before studying photography at the International Center of Photography, where she developed an interest in visual storytelling and family narratives. Over her career, Laub has examined political conflicts, explored family relationships, and addressed cultural identity through her photography and filmmaking. Her work has appeared in major publications, including TIME, The New York Times Magazine, and Vanity Fair, contributing to the fields of photojournalism and documentary photography.

Laub's first monograph, "Testimony," began as a response to media coverage during the Second Intifada in the Middle East and sought to create dialogue among Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, Lebanese, and Palestinians affected by the region's geopolitical context. She received Nikon's Storyteller Award and a Prix de la Photographie Paris first place award for this project.

Laub's project "Southern Rites" originated from a magazine assignment in Mount Vernon, Georgia, where she documented the lives of teenagers in a town where high school homecomings and proms remained racially segregated. Her photographs, published in The New York Times Magazine, contributed to national conversations about race and integration in the American South. The work expanded into a feature-length documentary film, "Southern Rites," which premiered on HBO, and a traveling exhibition organized by the International Center of Photography.

Laub's projects, including "Testimony" and "Southern Rites," use photography and film to examine how complex societal issues are reflected in personal relationships, with a focus on family, community, and human rights. Her monograph "Family Matters" features photographs and text exploring how political division affects families and communities across the United States. An exhibition of "Family Matters" was presented at the International Center of Photography.

Laub has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Aaron Siskind Fellowship, the Jerome Foundation Grant, and was recognized as a NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellow. Her work is included in the public collections of the Harvard Art Museums, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the International Center of Photography, the Jewish Museum in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Laub has been interviewed on The View, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, Good Morning America, and Times Talks, and is recognized for her insights on race, identity, and visual storytelling.