"Familiar" family art exhibition

Court Tree Collective proudly presents Familiar a group exhibition featuring work of two families of artists: the Rush and the Yoda families. The Rush family’s artistic story spans three generations: grandmother son and grandson. The Yoda family are Japanese immigrants that have artistic roots dating back to 1921. Familiar is a true a story about two families of artists.

To be familiar is to be known. The bond of family lives and expands beyond earthly matters. Mirroring one another—the Rush family and the Yoda family are rooted by their innate artistic abilities. Passed along from generation to generation their diverse ancestral backgrounds and upbringings create a prolific conversation. The versatile masterings of material and technique run deep within these paralleled families.

The three generations of the Rush family—Jane Gilbert Rush (mother and grandmother) Ken Rush (father) and George Rush (son) all approach their personal art practices in unorthodox ways. Varying from needlepoint to oil to acrylic gouache each artist finds clarity within realism and surrealism. Within their works as a collective lies an undeniable sense of humor charm and nostalgia. These themes are the invisible strings which tie these pieces to one another from the past generation to the present.

Dating back to 1921 the Yoda family have spent the past 100 years expressing their love for the sake of art. Junko Yoda (mother) immigrated from Japan to New York where she met Toshihisa Yoda (father). Their dedication and diligence to their craft has been passed down to their son Yoichiro. Working within the worlds of tactile installation abstract and figurative painting and film— each work is laced with story telling. 

At the hearts center are family ties. The truths of their ancestral narratives ground the Yoda and Rush. On view from June 4th - July 10th 2022 Court Tree Collective honors the dual symbiotic natures of the two families.

- Margaux Erin

Event Venue

Court Tree Collective, 51 35th Street, Building #5, 2nd Floor (Maker's Guild), Brooklyn, United States