‘All in the Family’ art exhibit shows the evolving nature of familial groups
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Art Museum and 2nd Story present “All in the Family,” a group exhibition co-curated by UK Art Museum Director Stuart Horodner and 2nd Story Founder and Director Leah Kolb. “All in the Family” is on view at 2nd Story through Oct. 16 and through Nov. 23 at the UK Art Museum.
This two-venue exhibition brings together works by emerging and established artists who use their relatives (parents, children, siblings and partners) as subjects for an examination of love and intimacy, acceptance and forgiveness, rituals and routines, and illness and loss. Selections offer a broader definition than blood relations, including aspects of chosen families and the significance of pets. “All in the Family” offers an opportunity to consider who and what we value, and the related joys and challenges that are part of the equation.
“The exhibition is an opportunity to look at an accessible and meaningful subject that is always relevant — who and how do we love and what are the joys and challenges that come along with that?” Horodner and Kolb said in a joint statement. “What constitutes ‘family’ is an ever-changing set of expectations and realities, informed by genetics as much as individual beliefs, socio-political conditions, and popular culture.”
Co-curators Horodner and Kolb live together in Lexington with their 15-year-old dog, Paco.
Many of the works featured at the UK Art Museum are part of the permanent collection, with additional art borrowed from studios, galleries and collections. They include Edgar Tolson’s carved wooden sculpture of Adam and Eve; Elinor Carucci, Gaela Erwin, Tommy Kha, Rolf Koppel, Guy Mendes and Marilyn Minter’s portraits of their mothers; Robert Morgan’s cabinet filled with commemorative plates, cups and books that chronicle men he has cared for through addiction and legal woes; and Aaron Skolnick’s tender portraits of himself and his husband Louis Zoellar Bickett during the final month of Bickett’s life, among others.
UK School of Art and Visual Studies professor and associate dean Rae Goodwin presents a group of photographic objects inspired by a historical image of her grandmother on the day of her adoption. James Baker Hall, Barbara Pollack and Chris Verene each offer mediations on the “family album” in photographs, books and video. Verene’s exhibition, “Home Movies,” is on view in an adjacent gallery, featuring a selection of his portraits of family members and friends in their hometown of Galesburg, Illinois.
Works on view at 2nd Story include a large Richard Billingham photograph that documents his troubled parents at their home in a British housing project. Rachael Banks, an artist based in Northern Kentucky, presents tender portrayals of her family as part of a larger dialogue about community, place and the things that constitute home. Small canvases by Bill Adams capture the adoration that he, his partner Alix Pearlstein and their dog Benny have for each other. A detailed drawing by 13-year old Ford Ingram is paired with an abstract painting on paper by his father Scott, creating a conversation about creative options. Tony Tasset's video shows his nuclear family (including wife Judy Ledgerwood and their son Henry) morphing into each other at the breakfast table. Tyanna Buie looks at ancestry by conjuring a self-portrait engraving in a classical style that reimagines her lineage as one of grand distinction, while slyly acknowledging the reality of her family’s dysfunction. Camila Galaz honors her father in a video that uses gesture and storytelling to explore their shared Chilean heritage. Helen Lee’s scroll is a tribute to her mother; the phrase written in the artist’s breastmilk expresses a sense of unity and camaraderie in Chinese. Completing the installation is a collection of vintage anonymous photographs of couples, exuding feelings of closeness, trust, desire and humor.
The exhibition title is taken from the American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from 1971-79. The show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network comedies, including racism, homosexuality, women’s liberation, religion, abortion, menopause, impotence and the Vietnam War.
The campus community and the public are invited to a reception at the UK Art Museum, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 30, to view “All in the Family” and other exhibits. Light refreshments will be served.
The UK Art Museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday, Monday and university holidays.
2nd Story is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and by request on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. For more information, visit https://www.2ndstory.art/.
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