Mickalene Thomas was studying at the Yale School of Art when she first photographed her mother. Her professor David Hilliard told her she should photograph “someone with whom you have a complex relationship.” It was a watershed moment for Thomas, who has become known for large-scale, rhinestone-encrusted domestic scenes and portraits. Thomas is one of 17 photographers featured in Yancey Richardson’s “Intimate Strangers,” a group show that includes Hilliard, Richard Avedon, Larry Sultan, and Marilyn Minter. For these photographers—whether the theme is black masculinity and sexuality, or immigration and addiction—parents become a vehicle for self-understanding. —Clara Molot