José Parlá is a critically acclaimed, multidisciplinary artist in painting, large scale murals, photography, video and sculpture. Layers of paint, gestural drawing and found ephemera combine to evoke the histories of urban environments. Using the backdrop of world cities, he re-makes what can appear to be photorealist fragments of what he sees in the chaos and rush of the metropolis. His work reflects the ephemeral layers of walls that show a place that was, but no longer is—built over, renewed in some other configuration, in the present engaging memory and imagination with the contemporary.
His work has been exhibited at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; The SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah College of Art & Design, Georgia; The Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York; National YoungArts Foundation, Miami, FL; Van Every/Smith Galleries, Davidson College, North Carolina; and The Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba, among others. Parlá's work is in several public collections including, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom; The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, POLA Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan; and The National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.
Collaborative projects include, Wrinkles of the City: Havana, Cuba project, which was completed in 2012 between Parlá and French artist JR. Parlá also worked with the Caldera Arts Program at The Portland Art Museum where he collaborated with participating youth for his Signature Roots, workshop and installation.
Permanent Public Arts projects include a commission by ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER for his monumental mural painting, ONE: Union of the Senses, the largest painting of it's kind in New York City, in the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, THE BARCLAYS CENTER in Brooklyn and the BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC, André Balazs' Chiltern Firehouse, London, UK; North Carolina State University's Hunt Library by SNØHETTA; and at Concord City Place, Toronto, Canada.
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Born in Miami, 1973
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
EDUCATION
Miami Dade Community College, FL
Savannah College of Art & Design, GA
New World School of the Arts, FL
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020
It's Yours, The Bronx Museum of Art, New York City
2019
HOCA Foundation, Hong Kong
Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong
Isthmus, Istanbul74', Istanbul, Turkey
2018
Echo of Impressions, Ben Brown Fine Arts London
No Space/ Non Place, Neuberger Museum of Art Neu Space 42, Purchase, NY
2017
Mirrors, Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy
Roots, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA
2016
Roots, YoungArts Foundation, Miami
Small Golden Suns, Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, Tokyo
Instincts, Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas
2015
Surface Body / Action Space, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery and Mary Boone Gallery, New York
Imagining New Worlds, High Museum of Art, Atlanta
2014
In Medias Res, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York City
Segmented Realities, High Museum of Art, Atlanta
2013
Prose, Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Broken Language, Haunch of Venison, London, England
2011
Walls, Diaries, and Paintings, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York City
Character Gestures, OHWOW, Los Angeles, CA
2009
Reading through Seeing, Ooi Botos Gallery, Hong Kong
2008
Layered Days, Cristina Grajales, Inc. Soho, New York City
Adaptation / Translation, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, UK
Memory Documents, Galleria Il Trifoglio Nero, Genova, Italy
2007
The Grand Tour, Autopsy Gallery, Melbourne, AU
The Elsewhere Community, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney, AU
2006
Cityscapes, Curated by Manon Slome, Art Basel Miami Beach, FL
The Mystic Writing Pad, Koehler Gallery, Whitworth College, WA
2005
Autonomous Paths, Kinsey/DesForges Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Contemporary Palimpsests, Refill Gallery, Sydney, AU
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019
Beyond the Streets, New York City
2017
Victors for Art, U-M Museum of Art, University of Michigan
2016
Post No Bills: Public Walls as Studio and Source, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, NY
Seeing / Saying: Images and Words, Vann Every Gallery, Davidson College, North Carolina
2012
Wrinkles of the City, Havana Cuba, JR and José Parlá, 11th Havana BiennialU.T.O.P.I.A, Jose Parla and Rey Parla, Colette, Paris , France
Performing Painting, Jose Parla and Wendy White, Savannah College of Art and Design
2011
Legal Tender, Martha Otero Gallery, Los Angeles
2010
It Ain't Fair, OHWOW, Miami
The New Grand Tour, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, NYC
2009
The Kings County Biennial, Curated by James Fuentes, Kidd Yellin Gallery, Brooklyn NY
It Ain't Fair, Art Basel Miami Beach OHWOW, Miami
Stages (Live Strong Foundation), OHWOW, Miami
Stages (Live Strong Foundation), Deitch Projects, New York
2008
The New Grand Tour, DNA Space, Dashanzi Art District, Beijing, China
Hi & Lo, Kai Kai Ki Ki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Curated by Takashi Murakami and Hiroshi Fujiwara
Paper Love: A New Page in the Fight Against Cancer, Luminaire and Christie's charity auction, Art Basel Miami, Beach, FL
2007
The New Grand Tour, Brave Gallery, Hong Kong
Pirate Utopias, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, UK
The Rosy Blue Masters, Royal Mirage, Dubai Cultural Council, UAE Curated by Marc Latamie
2006
June 13th, José Parlá & Dr.Romanelli Joyce, Hong Kong
In or Out?, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, UK
2004
Hollywood to the Street: From the Poster to Graffiti, Mimmo Rotella & José Parlá. Curated by Manon Slome.
The Barnstormers: Retrospective, SECCA, Winston-Salem, NC
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
The National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba
The British Museum, London, United Kingdom
The Albright-Knox, Buffalo, New York
London Business School, London UK
Caldera Arts, Portland Oregon
POLA Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan
The Burger Collection, Hong Kong
Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection, Dallas, TexasUniversity of Texas at Austin, Landmarks Program of the Fine Arts College
PERMANENT MURAL COMMISSIONS
Amistad América, commissioned by Landmarks, University of Texas, Austin, 2018
ONE: Union of the Senses, commissioned by One World Trade Center, New York City, 2014
Diary of Brooklyn, commissioned by Barclays Center, New York City, 2013
Nature of Language, commissioned by Snøhetta, North Carolina State University, 2013
Gesture Performing Dance, Dance Performing Gesture, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY, 2012
The Concord Project, Concord CityPlace, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2010