Photographer Gillian Laub Sees Her Family Portraits as a ‘Microcosm of America’

Well, I’ve been photographing my family for over 20 years, and I spent most of that time way more fascinated by other people’s stories than my own. Still, my family has a bunch of very colorful characters in it, so I began photographing my grandparents, and they were really my first muses. With all my projects, though, I never anticipate the final form. As time went on, there were births, and deaths, and family rituals being documented year after year, and then there was the great turning point [of Trump’s election] in 2016, when my family all became massive Trump supporters. I feel like our story was almost a microcosm of America, and how people were interacting politically.

What was it like to see such personal photos go up in a gallery?

It was very emotional, because when you see the prints that big, it’s like the people come to life. There are a lot of people in the show who are no longer here, so it was pretty emotional in that way, and very visceral. I love when projects are multimedia, because the book serves one purpose in the narrative and the exhibition serves a totally different one.

Has doing all this work with your family changed anything about the way you approach other photo projects?

It’s kind of the opposite. Especially during the Trump years, I had a lot of anger towards my family, and there was a moment where I had to really talk to myself and try and approach my family the way I approach other subjects, which is non-judgmentally and with an open mind. So it’s more the converse of what you asked me, because I had to kind of employ the same kind of approach that I use for all all subjects and stories, and really apply the same rigor with my own family. It took sensitivity and empathy, which was hard when I was so emotionally wound up.

Is there anything you really hope people take away from the book and show?

Well, there’s two examples of things that I’ve been really moved by. My daughter’s friend’s father came to the show, and I was very nervous for him to see it, because I know how he feels. I know his views. But he texted me that night and said, “I’m exhausted, but I don’t want to close the book. You’re forcing me to confront feelings and perspectives that were once cut-and-dried for me.” That felt like a huge triumph to me. I’m not necessarily here to try and change your mind, but to confront you and make you think about the polarized world we’re living in. I really, really want people to see that, and be able to identify with everyone who’s represented. Then I was in the gallery the day it opened, and a young man of 20 or so came up to me and said his father had brought him there. He said, “We’ve had such a hard time, because we’re so close, and I’m an art student and he’s a Trump supporter, so is my mom, and so he brought me here. This is so helpful, and I don’t feel alone anymore.” That was really moving.

How has your family reacted to the Biden administration?

Well, I can’t change how they think, and they’re not very supportive of President Biden, but there’s not constant tension anymore. I am so grateful for that; it’s like the air has been let out of the balloon, and I don’t wake up with a stomachache every day anymore.

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