Review Santa Fe: Ilana Grollman: Just Know That I Love You

In early November 2025, I used to be invited to CENTER’s Review Santa Fe. Being my first time within the Southwest and expertise on the Reviewer aspect of the desk, I wasn’t fairly certain what to anticipate. As an educator, I really like reviewing work; when others hear “critique,” they could draw back, however I really like the expertise of serving to others by way of their concepts. Review Santa Fe is an extremely welcoming expertise, fastidiously cultivating significant initiatives and conversations. Living in a really rural space, this was an inspiring alternative to see what’s on the horizon of the picture world. I’m so excited to share just a few of those initiatives over the primary week of February.

Today, we’ll be sharing Ilana Grollman’s Just Know That I Love You

Ilana Grollman (b. 2003; Baltimore, Maryland) is a photographer and filmmaker with a Bachelor of Fine Arts diploma from Emerson College. Her practices function a coping software and a way of exploring themes similar to loss or the eccentricities of time. Her work has been exhibited on the Colorado Photographic Arts Center Student Biennial, the Photographic Resource Center’s 2024 Student Show, Galerie Shibumi’s present Sanctuary, and twice with Emerson College’s Huret and Spector Gallery. She has additionally collaborated together with her father to make a number of picture and poetry zines and was a photographer for just a few artwork magazines at Emerson. Grollman’s challenge, Just Know That I Love You, was one of many ten shortlisted initiatives for the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards Student Competition.

Follow Ilana on Instagram: @ilanasfilm

Just Know That I Love You

My mom, Rita Stein-Grollman, handed away on January twenty fourth, 2023, from early onset of dementia. Her passing has dramatically modified how I view the world and make artwork. Before she received sick, my mother was an ideal librarian with an enormous love for her college students and an incredible poet. My dad was her caretaker as she began to slide away, and I used to be a bratty teen who didn’t know learn how to course of any of this. Now that I’m older, this challenge is one among my methods of processing. I’ve created all these photos as a tribute to her, and in addition to maintain her reminiscence alive. I returned to our previous house in Baltimore, the place I frolicked together with her as a toddler, and traced her upbringing. I visited her old fashioned, her previous neighborhood, and explored Baltimore to study extra about her. In New York, which is the place I primarily grew up with my mother and father, I photographed myself, my father, and our condominium to know the other ways by which we expertise grief. Finally, I seemed outward, into nature, to seek out myself within the bushes and discover her within the water.

This expertise has been therapeutic, however my grieving won’t finish. Just Know That I Love You is for my mom and others that I’ve misplaced, who I do know are wanting down on me.

Epiphany Knedler: How did your challenge come about?

Ilana Grollman: Just Know That I Love You served as my BFA capstone challenge at Emerson College. My mom handed away a few 12 months earlier than I began making the work. At first, I had no intention of making work exploring my grief. I had a special challenge in thoughts that vaguely touched on grieving. After speaking with my trainer on the time, Lauren Shaw, she impressed me to pursue my grief head-on and use this challenge alternative as a solution to heal and create one thing significant. I’m very grateful for that dialog and the help she gave me, as I consider Lauren helped me discover the braveness to discover one thing deeply private by way of images for the primary time. I’ve discovered it to be a gratifying course of.

When I used to be creating the work at college, the photographs had been a direct response to what I used to be experiencing, which felt jarring. This challenge allowed me to step into my mom’s world extra and develop a brand new relationship together with her. I’m unsure if the work has essentially helped me course of dropping her, however I’ve undoubtedly sat with my grief in a approach that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t made the work. Now that I’ve been residing with these emotions for just a few years, I’ve absorbed my grief. It has turn into part of my on a regular basis life. Taking a step again from the work has additionally allowed me to discover the evolution of my grief from an extra distance and discover methods to make the work really feel extra common.

EK: Is there a selected picture that’s your favourite or significantly significant to this sequence?

IG: I view a lot of the photos with equal weight as a result of they had been taken both at totally different levels throughout my grieving course of or symbolize separate facets of my relationship with my mother. However, those that stand out to me are Your Sweater on the Bed and David Watching Home Videos. My father and I collaborated on the portraits of him, in addition to among the pictures taken in our New York condominium. That collaboration is vital to me, because it brings us nearer collectively by way of our shared grief. With each of the photographs as nicely, I feel my mom’s presence is a large issue that makes them particular, both together with her clothes or seeing her on the TV display.

EK: Can you inform us about your inventive follow?

IG: I took a break from images final January to give attention to my final semester of undergraduate faculty. I’m a filmmaker as nicely, so I spent a variety of time engaged on writing and an internship I had on the time. I attempt to have interaction with a variety of totally different mediums to maintain inspiration flowing, similar to visiting museums, attending movie screenings, and seeing stay music. I used to be in a artistic block for some time, however Review Santa Fe helped rejuvenate my spirit. I’ve just lately returned to taking pictures with a really centered strategy.

I’ve two modes of working with images. I take my digicam out on walks, often someplace I haven’t been earlier than or surrounded by nature, and let my intestine and intuition information me. This, for me, seems like collaborating with my mom and letting my feelings lead me to the pictures. I’ve been making an attempt to develop a extra non secular lens for this work, particularly since I’ve come to phrases with my grief. On the opposite hand, often when working with my father, some photos are shortlisted and considered for months. My inventive follow combines spontaneity, collaboration, and a variety of visualization.

 EK: What’s subsequent for you?

 IG: I’m persevering with my challenge, Just Know That I Love You, with this new, deeper non secular lens connected to creating the work, plus the collaboration component with my father. I’m unsure when it can finish, however the final objective is a photobook and a solo exhibition that will likely be mixed with a brief movie. In addition, I’m now starting two new initiatives. One in regards to the carnies of Coney Island, the opposite centered on the Williamsburg Bridge. I’ve some filmmaking initiatives within the works, plus I hope to make and promote extra images zines on my web site as nicely! Finally, graduate faculty can also be on the again of my thoughts.

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Epiphany Knedler is an interdisciplinary artist + educator exploring the methods we have interaction with historical past. She graduated from the University of South Dakota with a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Political Science and accomplished her MFA in Studio Art at East Carolina University. She is predicated in Aberdeen, South Dakota, serving as an Assistant Professor of Art and Coordinator of the Art Department at Northern State University, a Content Editor with LENSCRATCH, and the co-founder and curator of the artwork collective Midwest Nice Art. Her work has been exhibited within the New York Times, the Guardian, Vermont Center for Photography, Lenscratch, Dek Unu Arts, and awarded by way of Lensculture, the Lucie Foundation, F-Stop Magazine, and Photolucida Critical Mass.

Follow Epiphany on Instagram: @epiphanysk