Nominated in 2018 by The Royal Photographic Society as one of the ‘Hundred Heroines’ transforming contemporary photography, London-based photographer Jillian Edelstein’s portraits have appeared in publications incl. The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The FT Weekend Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times Magazine and Interview. She has been included & judged several awards: World Press, Taylor Wessing, the AI-AP, Julia Margaret Cameron, BJP's Portrait of Humanity and Portrait of Britain, Between 1996 and 2002 she returned to South Africa frequently to document the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her award winning book Truth and Lies, was published by Granta, the New Press and Mail and Guardian in 2002.
In the run up to the Olympics 2012 Edelstein was commissioned by The National Portrait Gallery and BT to produce a series of 17 portraits of those working to make the Olympic and the Paralympic Games happen.
In 2021 she undertook a portrait commission for the Foundling Museum & the Imperial War Museum/ Royal Photographic Society . 'Holocaust Survivors' was exhibited at the Imperial War Museum, The RPS in Bath and UN in Paris. She is currently working on photographic projects including 2 film documentaries -'Impossible Norman' about an Academy Award nominated screenwriter Norman Wexler who was blighted by his Bipolar condition. The Water Rats: a group of Londoners of mixed ages, ethnicity, who continued to cold swim during Lockdown.
