“Lillian” (2022) is a series of digital artworks produced in 2022 that interrogate statistical data behind the highly-publicized and often-controversial public ranking system for national universities in the United States.

Building on a repertoire of artworks relating to finance, telecommunications, education, sports, and politics, “Lillian” posits new interpretations and poses new questions surrounding the ways in which we evaluate the American higher education system.

Harlan’s work draws inspiration from art historical predecessors who similarly challenged the limits of “abstraction.” The artists homage to master artists may take the form of sampling color schema from acclaimed works, as is the case with the Lillian series. The color palette shown herein is produced by digitally "sampling” the colors from Josef Albers’ “Homage to the Square,’ an oil on masonite painting from 1951.