A symbiosis of abstract expressionism and street art defines the work of the Cuban-American artist and painter José Parlá.
His recognizable method combines different approaches and mediums to give a whole different view of urban environments. By looking at Parlá’s fragmented paintings, the viewer is taken through different epochs and places that existed in the past but are no longer there or are present in another form – hidden below a surface of layers upon layers of marks, textures, and colors.
José Parlá provokes the viewer to reflect on the meanings behind the spray, acrylic paint and recycled advertising posters which the artist has collected from the numerous cities where he has traveled.
Parlá lived with his Cuban parents in Puerto Rico during his childhood, until the 1980s when he moved to Miami to pursue his passion for urban art. He started painting walls when he was just 10-years-old, making his first steps into the vibrant street art movement that was growing all around him. In his 20s he moved to New York where he continues to work until today. Parlá’s artworks are featured in a number of eminent art galleries in London, New York, Hakone, and Havana.
