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This two-venue exhibition brings together works by artists who use their relatives as subjects for an examination of love and intimacy, acceptance and forgiveness, rituals and routines, illness and loss. The 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. 

A large Richard Billingham photograph documents his troubled parents at their home in a British housing project; similar scenes of the couple have been described as “squalid realism.” Rachael Banks, a photographer based in Northern Kentucky, produces 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 thirteen-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 diverse couples, exuding feelings of closeness, trust, desire, and humor.

All in the Family continues at the University of Kentucky Art Museum, where it is on view  from July 16- November 23, 2024.

Co-curators Stuart Horodner and Leah Kolb live together in Lexington with their fifteen-year old dog Paco.