The Hole is proud to announce our first solo exhibition by Johnny Abrahams. The exhibition will feature a selection of monumental black paintings in our rear gallery.

Abrahams is an artist until now best known for his optic, detailed line work. Painting delicate silk moire patters or early digital-looking black and white pattern fills, his previous works were both technical and adept and made painting feel like an evocative extension of drawing. These new works feel like wall sculptures and in their simplicity highlight form as the new focus.

With deep black shapes filling, taking over the canvasses, these works contain their drama in the subtle variation of angles and curves. Like smooth-edged Motherwell paintings, these giant black shapes rub up and jostle for position. They are stacked in a way that seems to obey gravity and limn silhouettes suggestive of industrial design or even household products.

The black is so deep and low-albedo as to form a confusing visual “object.” Is it positive or negative space, you might wonder, as it recedes infinitely and yet can be as flat and frontal looking as a cutout. A massive work made of abutting shaped canvasses pulls the objects out on their own from the rectangular canvas background, and take one step further into object-hood. Heavy looking objects touching each other lightly; balance and elegance have always been a part of Abrahams’ work and here in these giant works we look again at his fine distinctions.

For more information on the artist or artworks please email raymond@theholenyc.com