MY NYC STUDIO

Nika Irlandi was born in 1958 in New York. She is a first generation American born to Italian and Yugoslavian parents. Her adult life has been divided between New York City and Italy. “Venice is my sketchbook; New York City is my studio.”

She earned an MA from New York University in 1995. She participated in summer graduate residency programs in Venice Italy in 1993 & 1994. She studied at SVA and Parsons School of Design in the early 1990s. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts from Drake University in 1980, where she was granted an academic scholarship to study painting at SACI in Florence, Italy. She attended high school in the Chicago area, but New York City has alway been her primary residence.

Nika is an abstract painter. Her recent works are reinterpretations of geometric patterns and organic forms found in nature at both the microscopic level and on a universal scale. Her large multi-paneled paintings are modular, and can either exist as diptychs, triptychs or quadriptychs or independently as single panels. Working in multiple panels is partly due to her necessity to transport her works internationally, and partly due to her interest in sets and progressions. Her richly textured surfaces evolve as a result of applying, removing then reapplying layer upon layer of paint. The luminous quality evolves from the multiple layers of swirling, dripping, dropping, and scraping of paint.

Nika is an emerging artist. She exhibits her work consistently in New York City and in Venice. Her work can be found in private collections in the US, Italy and Greece.