Solo exhibition Marlene McCarty: "Thicker than Water" is currently on view at @ukartmuseum. Born in Lexington, KY, this show is the time the McCarty is exhibiting in her hometown. @mccarty.marlene is known for her drawings that examine aspects of sexuality, articulation of power, and social formation. Using graphite, ballpoint pen, and occasionally watercolor, she has made composite portraits of teenage female murderers, as well as humans interacting with other primates. McCarty's family has resided in Kentucky for two centuries. She recently donated large portraits of her parents—Phyllis Lee James McCarty and William Kenneth McCarty—seen with their grandchildren. Both drawings play with time, mixing and inverting the actual ages of the subjects and using details of clothing and hairstyle to further complicate the personal narrative. This exhibition pairs these two works with a large triptych "GROUP 2" (2007), an almost symmetrical drawing that shows male and female caregivers who nurse, comfort, and communicate with several chimpanzees. The humans are partially nude, reducing the differences between themselves and the chimps, and suggesting a clear lineage and inter-species intimacy. These two bodies of work raise questions about memory, legacy, and the complex space that exists between nature and nurture. Marlene McCarty: "Thicker than Water" is on view through January 14. Visit @ukartmuseum for more information. Image: Installation view of Marlene McCarty: "Thicker than Water," UK Art Museum, Lexington, KY, 2022. Photo courtesy the artist and UK Art Museum. #MarleneMcCarty #UKArtMuseum #SikkemaJenkins