Ilana Harris-Babou facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ilana Harris-Babou
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Ilana Yacine Harris-Babou
1991 (age 33–34) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Yale University BA – 2013 Columbia University MFA – 2016 |
Ilana Harris-Babou (born 1991) is an American artist. She creates sculptures and art installations. Ilana was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently a professor of art at Wesleyan University.
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Exploring Art and Ideas
Ilana Harris-Babou often gets ideas for her art from TV shows. These include music videos, cooking shows, and home improvement programs. She uses these to explore what the "American Dream" means. Her art also looks at feelings, strong emotions, and how we buy and use things. Ilana uses humor and changes everyday items to talk to her audience.
"Reparation Hardware" Project
In 2018, Ilana created a special art project called "Reparation Hardware." She built a fake hardware store at the Larrie Gallery in New York City. This project used old, reclaimed furniture to make new sculptures. It showed how old things can become new again. Her work on "Reparation Hardware" also looked at how people think about homes. It included messages about fairness and equality for African-Americans in the United States.
Recent Exhibitions
Ilana Harris-Babou has shown her art in many places. These include museums and galleries across the US and Europe. She had solo shows at The Museum of Arts & Design in New York. She also exhibited at the de Young museum in San Francisco. Other places include the Jewish Museum in New York and SculptureCenter in Long Island City.
Her exhibition "Decision Fatigue" was shown in New York City in 2020. This exhibit featured a video of Ilana's mother, Sheila Harris. In the video, her mother gives a makeup tutorial. She talks about trying to look young and healthy. Ilana uses this video to show how big problems can sometimes seem like small, personal choices. The exhibit also had sculptures that looked like items from a fancy store. However, they were changed to look a bit strange.
Selected Art Shows
- 2016 – In Response: Unorthodox – The Jewish Museum, New York City
- 2017 – One Bad Recipe – The Museum of Arts and Design, New York City
- 2018 – Reparation Hardware – Larrie, New York City
- 2018 – Further Thoughts on Earthly Materials – Kunsthaus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
- 2019 – 2019 Whitney Biennial, curated by Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta.
- 2019 – Strange Loops– Artspace, New Haven, CT.
- 2020 – Decision Fatigue – Hesse Flatow, New York City.
Awards and Recognition
Ilana Harris-Babou has received several awards for her art.
- 2017 Artist Community Engagement Grant, Rema Hort Mann Foundation, New York City
- 2017 Van Lier Fellow, Museum of Arts and Design, New York City
- 2018 Session, Recess Art, New York City
- 2020 National YoungArts Foundation's Jorge M. Pérez Award
