Artist Statement
I document my world—whether people or things or places—to find the story, make sense of life. My photographs are not snapshots, but I want them to feel that way. I try and capture simple moments that are personal and intimate, yet go deeper to touch on the complexities of emotions we all may share. My subject matter falls to the beauty of the quotidian: the way the sun comes through the window, the feeling of the carpet underfoot at the top of the stairs, a hand gesture, an unexpected expression, the way the light reflects on skin at certain times of the day. I am drawn toward describing the often-difficult process of exposing ourselves to one another, looking for tension between what may be alluring and sensual yet also uncomfortable and challenging. By looking out from my perspective as a woman at a particular juncture in time, I wish to explore the meaning of yearning, belonging, memory and home.
Process Statement
I use large format analog cameras and print chromogenic.
Ilisa Katz Rissman attended Art Center College of Design where she studied photography and film. Her career began as a studio photographer in Tribeca during which time Ilisa's work appeared in a variety of national publications, including, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Interview, Saveur, Town and Country and Metropolis. Ilisa Published two books, one titled Chairmania in which she photographed the miniature chair collection of the iconic designer, George Beylarian. Ilisa was the featured artist In Photo District News: Ilisa Katz’s Simple Vision.
Ilisa works concurrently on long- term projects, choosing to use large format analog cameras in order to produce detailed, provocative images. Her work is collected and shown both nationally and internationally and she is the recipient of a number of awards. A photograph from her Unveiled series was awarded by James Rondeau, director of contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Other awards include, The Forward Thinking Museum, 12 12 Gallery (juror Stephen Perloff – The Photo Review), Soho Photo Gallery/The Photo Review (juror Jennifer Blessing – The Guggenheim Museum of Art), New York Photo Festival and PX3 Prix De La Photographie, Paris. Her photography has been posted and reviewed in The New Yorker and The Philadelphia Inquirer; Ilisa is a BRIC Arts Media Fellow.
Ilisa lives in Brooklyn with her family.
How to use our image viewer
Click on any of the thumbnail images to launch the viewer. You can then navigate forward and backward within the portfolio by clicking the left or right side of the enlarged image. Click the add to collection checkbox to automatically add an image to your collection. Image tags or search engine keywords appear below the collections' checkbox and each word or phrase is a link to potentially more image matches.