Tough Luck by KAVES
Feb 7th - Feb 28th, 2026Tough Luck story and painting MR KAVES is a new series of paintings rooted in a childhood memory that never left me. When I was around seven years old, my mother gave me a personalized copy of Fortunately by Remy Charlip a simple children’s book built on the rhythm of setbacks and hope: unfortunately… fortunately… again and again. That back-and-forth quietly shaped how I learned to look at the world.
This body of work pulls that idea into the present. Tough Luck deconstructs moments from A Brooklyn Dream and the autobiographical layers inside The Brooklyn Pop, translating them into paintings that explore resilience, imagination, and the way optimism survives rough terrain. Some images are playful, some heavier much like growing up.
The series will be on view at Court Tree Collect beginning February 7. This show isn’t about finished answers it’s about process. An invitation to step inside the work, see how the story is built, and maybe recognize a little of your own “unluckily, luckily” along the way.
It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken
Nov 22 - Jan 17th, 2026
“It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” is the latest exhibition by Mary and Jiem at Court Tree Collective in Brooklyn. In this new body of work, the self-taught duo from Northern France and Belgium unveils 100 fresh paintings, each forming part of a winding journey through everyday rituals, dreamlike landscapes, and nostalgic yet ebullient memories. Their compositions feel like fragments of lived experience—moments at once intimate and expansive—woven through with anecdotes, humor, and a gentle, bittersweet emotional charge.
True to their creative spirit, Mary and Jiem’s paintings radiate a sense of spontaneity, freshness, and freedom, standing unbound by academic conventions or orthodox approaches to representation. They work with an intuitive hand, allowing color, gesture, and storytelling to lead the way. The result is a visual world that feels deeply personal yet universally resonant, grounded in sincerity and the joy of making.
This exhibition marks the duo’s first solo presentation in the United States, following their well-received group appearance at Court Tree Collective and their participation in the Outsider Art Fair 2025. “It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” offers viewers a rare chance to enter their world in full—playful, vulnerable, and unmistakably alive.
Bridging The Gap
October 18 – November 15, 2025“Bridging The Gap” brings together a powerhouse roster of artists whose practices span from self-taught visionaries to classically trained contemporaries. United by a shared spirit of experimentation and edge, the exhibition highlights the intersections of tradition and innovation, showing how diverse approaches can spark dialogue and expand what contemporary art can be.
