Wade In The Water

Let’s keep this simple. Marlene McCarty is one of our favorite artists and has been for years. She has a new show running from April 5 until May 3 at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York City. We asked Marlene about this new work, and this is what she told us: “Basically, the work is about fundamentalism versus evolutionary redemption. The drawings—which are huge, 10 feet by 18 feet—are inspired by transgressive true-life incidents. They are based on a true-crime story of two evangelical home-schooled teens. A father baptized his daughter in their backyard hot tub, whereupon the girl pledged a chastity oath to him. To seal the promise he gave her a ring. Then she met a boy online and the chastity pledge was broken. The two teens ended up killing her parents to escape the oppression of their religion.”

ABOUT THE DRAWING ON OUR COVER:

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo sapiens

Click these images to enlarge.

Marlene McCarty, Group 1.2 (Lititz, Pennsylvania. Sunday, November 13, 2005. 11:22 AM), 2006-2007, ballpoint pen and graphite on paper, 125 x 220 inches.
Marlene McCarty, Group 1.1 (Lititz, Pennsylvania. Sunday, November 13, 2005. 11:16 AM), 2007, ballpoint pen and graphite on paper, 114 x 220 inches. All images courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co.