On Oct. 27, José Parlá finished a painting. The Cuban-American Miami native wasn’t in his studio or out on the street – instead, in front of an audience of dozens of art enthusiasts assembled in a gallery at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, he completed a massive canvas depicting Cuba, Florida, and the Yucatan Peninsula amidst a swirling, primordial sea.
Held ahead of the opening of “José Parlá: Homecoming” at the museum, the live painting session, one of four that weekend, saw PAMM transform one of its galleries into a makeshift replica of Parlá’s stark Brooklyn studio. Blasting classic Cuban records from the likes of Celia Cruz, Gina Martin, El Gran Combo, and Los Munequitos de Matanzas, he acrobatically marked the canvas with paint and plaster, occasionally jumping from a ladder to complete a stroke. Sometimes he would sit in a rocking chair and contemplate the work, seeing where to fill gaps. It was a rare opportunity for the public to see an artist at work – and, just as rare, an artist whose work is entertaining to watch.
“One of the things we really wanted to do with this exhibition, because I’ve had the tremendous privilege of seeing José at work in the studio, was share that process with all of you.” Maritza Lacayo, associate curator at the PAMM, told the audience. “There aren’t many painters, I feel, that you could actually be entertained by watching them paint – at least I think so.”
(Courtesy the artist and Parlá Studios)
José Parlá. Return to Miami's Ancestral Circle, 2024. Acrylic, oil, enamel, collage, and plaster on canvas. 60 x 60 x 2 1/4 inches.
Getting the public involved was especially important for Parlá, who began his art career as a “writer” (street artist) painting walls on the mean streets of Miami in the ‘80s before heading to art school. He remains deeply influenced by both street art “writing” and more traditional forms of calligraphy, as seen in the sinuous lines that typify his abstract canvases.
“In that writing, there's all these gestures and flourishes, underlines and whips and halos,” he said. “Writing equals gesture, and gesture (equals) dance and the movement of the body. So, you can really feel that it's a person making these works. The human form is there through that search for liberation in the mark making.”
But the “Homecoming” show represents more than simply a return to the place of his birth – it’s a return to his artistry and identity after a protracted illness that nearly took his life. In 2021 Parlá contracted COVID-19 and fell into a four-month coma, during which he suffered a stroke and brain bleeding.
“‘Homecoming,’ to me, was more than just the physical aspect of having left my hometown and coming back. It was more about this coming back to self, to my memories,” he said. “When you're in a coma for that long, you really do forget a lot of who you are. I forgot a lot of my personal memories, and when I dreamt during the coma period, the dreams were registered as reality. I was convinced that a lot of those dreams was who I was and what I did.”
(Courtesy the artist and Parlá Studios )
José Parlá. Aguanile, The Spiritual Cleansing of Home, 2024. Acrylic, oil, enamel, collage, and plaster on canvas. 96 x 72 x 3 inches.
Much of the art in “Homecoming” relates to this experience. “Breath of Life,” a diptych, depicts the treelike branches of a pair of lungs, as shown in X-rays he saw in the hospital. The vibrant colors reflect the artist’s joy at simply being able to breathe after his fight against the disease.
But Miami, and Parlá’s memories of growing up on Miami Beach, features as well. One canvas, “Aguanile, The Spiritual Cleansing of Home,” sees scavenged materials peeking out from underneath layers of paint: The City of Miami seal, a poster reading “Our history.” Parlá gathered advertising posters and other materials from the streets of Miami Beach to use in the painting, creating a collage-like work that resembles a contemporary wall as much as one from his past.
Parlá describes the “Homecoming” project as a way of researching himself. He recalls the process of getting over his memory loss with the help of his family. In some cases, he couldn't even recognize the moments that defined his life.
(Lazaro Llanes)
José Parlá in his Brooklyn studio.
“My brother had laid out for me all these photographs from our life, and when I would see them, they were mind blowing,” he said. “I was emotional seeing them, thinking ‘Wow, that's really me?’ It's shocking. I can't explain it in other ways. You're seeing a picture, you're aware that it's you, but your mind's still not remembering it all. It’s coming back slowly.”
IF YOU GO
“José Parlá: Homecoming”
Runs through July 26, 2025
Perez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Tickets: $14-$18
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(Courtesy the artist and Parlá Studios)
José Parlá. A Life of Memories Racing Through Art Deco Miami Beach Avenues, 2024. Acrylic, oil, enamel, collage and plaster on canvas. 96 x 168 x 3 inches.
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(Courtesy the artist and Parlá Studios)
José Parlá. American Mindscape, 2024. Acrylic, oil, enamel spray paint, paper collage, and plaster on canvas. 96 x 168 x 3 inches.