Neesh Magazine No. 1 (Spring 2017)

Babaeva playfully approaches everyday objects with a sense of absurdity. Oozing lava-like forms
spill over mundane objects such as clocks, wine glasses and chairs, each altered by the addition of
colorful, spray-foamed masses that appear to glow & low with a mind of their own. As if stopped
in time, these strange sculptures appear to defy gravity, occupying a range of colors from gloppy,
neon orange and slimer green to a nullifying, muscular grey. In a recent act of guerilla art, the
artist ruefully installed her transformed (aka ‘innaied’) IKEA items back into the store during
opening hours & documented the results. Babaeva also makes video, photo installations, and is
working on a line of wearables.
Inna Babaeva was born in Lvov, Ukraine. She received her MFA from Rutgers University and
BFA from Florida Atlantic University. Babaeva has shown extensively in New York City including
a solo exhibition at TSA New York in 2016, titled Its the Little Things That Matter as well as
group exhibitions at Sardine, Underdonk, Trestle, Storefront Ten Eyck, Brooklyn Academy of
Music (all Brooklyn), Anna Kustera Gallery, Brian Morris Gallery, and the Bronx River Art Center,
and ARTBLOGARTBLOG (all NYC). Babaeva’s work has been reviewed in ArtFCity, Sleek
magazine, and Artnews. She was an artist-in-residence at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program
and Atlantic Center for the Arts. Babaeva received a Joan Mitchell Foundation award and was a
nominee for the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant.