Ideas of family are relative

Alternatives to the traditional model are explored in new show, says Tina Darb O’Sullivan

MODERN Families: Relatives and Relationships in Art is the new exhibition at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at University College Cork. Curated by Chris Clarke and Matt Packer, the exhibition investigates the meaning of family.

Among the artists is Mark O’Kelly, who presents two works from his 2010 solo exhibition, ‘Leaders and Followers’. O’Kelly’s paintings reference cults, within the sphere of family groupings. The landscape painting ‘Heaven’s Gate’ refers to the 1980 Michael Cimino film and to the cult whose members committed mass suicide in 1997. It is surreal and plays with the notions of acceptance and docility.