José Parlá
American multidisciplinary artist, 1975
My Story
José Parlá (b. 1973, Miami) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, murals, photography, video, and sculpture. Rooted in the textures and rhythms of urban life, his work reflects his Cuban heritage and experiences in Miami and New York. Influenced by early Hip Hop culture, Parlá explores movement, memory, and time through layered compositions made with oil, acrylic, cement, and found materials. His gestural, calligraphic lines merge abstraction and narrative, evoking the history of city walls.
After surviving a severe case of COVID-19 in 2021, Parlá returned to the studio with renewed purpose, creating works centered on resilience and recovery.
He studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Miami Dade Community College, and New World School of the Arts. Parlá’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Brooklyn Museum, Bronx Museum of the Arts, High Museum of Art, Istanbul’74, and the Havana Biennial. His art is held in major public collections such as the British Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, POLA Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.
