José Parlá

José Parlá, Character Gestures, 2011, Acrylic, oil, ink, collage, and plaster on wood panel, 60 x 96 inches

José Parlá

b. 1973, Miami, FL

Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY Biography View Selected Work

José Parlá is an artist who assumes several roles in order to create his work; he acts as a historical transcriber, and a visual raconteur. As a transcriber, he records his experiences in calligraphic and palimpsestic code. Serving as a collection of textually chronicled memories, the markings appear on backdrops that resemble the distressed surfaces he encounters – the cosmetic results of passed time – city walls marred from layers of paint, old posters, and years of neglect. As a storyteller, Parlá presents a leitmotif of an enigmatic narrative, reaching to translate moments that only a visual dialogue can convey.