New York, NY- 33 Bond is pleased to present new paintings by Nik Vlahos in his first New York solo exhibition.

The featured large oil paintings relate to the concepts of abstraction and the definitions and methods of presenting language. These concepts appear in the work as abstracted text originating from graffiti that actively form and relate to the totality of the space and movement. Nik Vlahos draws his inspiration from inherent qualities of language as a method of description, representation and communication. With this new set of work he seeks to explore the boundaries of the medium through gestures, letters and motions, which compose the layers of the paintings.

The work relates to surfaces in the world and how paint accumulates on them. Through a process of varying forms of application and removal of paint Vlahos arrives at abstract paintings whose surface reveal time as it exposes the various layers. The layers are built through the accumulation of lines, based on lettering, abstraction, and graffiti. The way Vlahos treats the paintings at various stages defines the characteristic of the layer. At times the line work is integrated within the network of the painting, treated like an outline and filled with color and at times floats off the surface of the work.

Nik Vlahos (b. 1978) received his MFA from Yale University in 2005. His work has been included in several group shows including Ten Curatorial Perspectives, Haven Arts, Bronx, NY (2006), Sparts of Art’s, CIAC Gallery, Pont-Aven, France (2005), The Wild Bunch, White Box Annex, New York, NY (2003 and 2004).