Ilana Harris-Babou

Ilana Harris-Babou (b. 1991) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Through sculpture, installation, and video, she uses humor to question the aspirational language of consumer culture. By taking on roles such as celebrity chef, interior designer, or beauty vlogger in her artworks, she critiques the American Dream and challenges the notion that hard work leads to upward mobility and economic freedom. Harris-Babou investigates the messy moments when individuals cannot fully conform to social structures and explores how to subvert the status quo in generative ways. Recently, she has focused on community-based projects and public commissions examining love, transcendence, imperfection, and self-determination within the aesthetics of order. Her work highlights the persistence of human connection despite the influence of social systems she sees as oppressive.