José Parlá is a Brooklyn based artist who was born in Miami Florida to Cuban exiles in the mid 70′s. His journey into urban landscapes began in his teen years while exploring Miami Beach with his brother Rey. Over the years, José Parlá has developed a look and feel to his art that is, unmistakably his own, yet still beyond classification. I suppose that’s a general theme of a few artists we’ve featured in the past, but even so, none of these people should be lumped together due to their ability to create work that transcends genres, mediums and the like.
Surely one could make comparisons to the likes of Jackson Pollack, but again, I would urge you to see the many elements that make Parlá’s work shine in a different light. Regarding his influences, specifically those that are rooted in east Asia, he says: “I have travelled to Asia at least twenty times, mostly to Japan and recently, Thailand and China. The influence I do receive from Asia is in terms of how I approach the work, and the way I let some things breath within the space. When one goes to a different culture, time after time, eventually that is going to influence the person. My script has been influenced by these experiences. Calligraphy and script are not the only focus of my work. They are elements and parts of my work that I use to draw with to show lines that carry meaning as symbols embedded with emotion.”
