Harris-Babou’s “Wholesome Fun” Art Exhibition Opens in Germany

Luther Gregg Sullivan Fellow In Art Ilana Harris-Babou is an interdisciplinary artist whose work encompasses sculptures, installations, and videos around the themes of the American Dream and its contradictions. Harris-Babou’s work is featured in “Wholesome Fun,” her first solo institutional exhibition in Europe, which opened in Hamburg, Germany on Oct. 1.

This exhibition is hosted by Kunsthaus Hamburg, a center for contemporary art in a former market building.

“In her video works, collages, and sculptures, Harris-Babou combines humor and a keen critique of society, revealing racist structures and social discrepancies in the mirror of western hegemonic consumer and media culture,” the exhibition description reads. “In this context, she adopts the language of popular advertising formats on Youtube and Instagram, in which companies develop their brand image and mostly members of the younger generation enact their consumerism as a lifestyle in the everyday sphere, capturing their cooking or DIY activities on camera. Here, the self-empowerment of the Do-It-Yourself concept becomes a paradigm of self-optimization, propagating efficiency, performance, and would-be good taste in addition to practical tips.”

Harris-Babou’s previous work has been displayed in New York at The Museum of Art and Design, HESSE FLATOW, The Whitney Museum of Art, and The Studio Museum, in addition to around the world in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Australia.

Click here to see Harris-Babou’s professional website with samples of her work.