Miami, FL

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Pérez Art Museum Miami

Plan Your Visit
Event

José Parlá Open Studio

October 26, 2024
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Past Event

Join us in the galleries for a special in-progress glimpse of José Parlá’s site-specific mural, painted live as part of his Homecoming exhibition. From 11am–1pm and 2–4pm, Parlá will be painting, listening to his Cuban-inspired record collection, and connecting with old and new hometown friends as he transforms the gallery space into a version of his artist studio.

Jose Parla sitting in a rocking chair positioned in front of an assortment of paintings.
Portrait of José Parlá. Photo by Lazaro Llanes

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Parlá bring Homecoming to life before it opens to the public on November 14. Entrance to the gallery will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

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RSVP does not guarantee entry. Admission to the galleries is free for members and $18 for adults.

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About José Parlá
Born in Miami to Cuban parents, artist José Parlá (b. 1973, Miami; lives in New York) was raised between mainland United States and Puerto Rico. Influenced by his proximity to the Caribbean and Latin American countries, he developed an interest in diverse cultural traits, including Cuban music, hip hop, reggae, calligraphy, dance, and urban architecture and its decay, all of which would become recurring themes in his work. Consistent with his blended culture, Parlá is interested in hybrid forms of abstraction. Through a unique mark-making process, grounded in movement and bodily gestures, Parlá produces a painterly stream of consciousness characterized by addition, erasure, and layering. His physical and textural artistic process challenges conventional visual culture.

Pérez Art Museum Miami is honored to host Parlá’s first solo museum exhibition in his hometown. Featuring a new series of never-before-seen works and a site-specific mural, José Parlá: Homecoming will ultimately mirror the artist’s studio. An elaborate, two-part exhibition will allow visitors to observe Parlá’s dance-like technique in real time as he paints a site-specific mural for the first iteration of the exhibition. The second iteration will see the museum gallery transformed and converted into Parlá’s studio—a room full of paint-covered tables, a lively Cuban-inspired record collection, and decades of Parla’s archival memorabilia.

In 2021, Parlá contracted a life-threatening case of COVID-19—he was hospitalized and endured a four-month coma during which he suffered a stroke and significant brain bleeding. A radical departure from the traditional use of space in a museum, this presentation not only represents a homecoming to Miami but also marks a return to himself and his practice after this experience. Celebrating the spirit of resilience and returning to one’s roots, José Parlá: Homecoming is a testament to the profound connections among personal history, art, and creative expression. In addition to the completed mural and studio re-creation, the exhibition will also feature a number of recent works Parlá created upon his return to painting. The result is a process-focused exhibition highlighting an expressionistic painter who conscientiously engages with issues relating to Cuban and broader diasporic identity.