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.
