Overview

The colourful monumental paintings of the Cuban-American contemporary artist José Parlá: Marking the Way Home is an expansive monograph celebrating the remarkable four-decade career of Cuban American artist José Parlá. This first midcareer publication coincides with major milestones, including solo exhibitions in Miami and Tokyo—""Homecoming"" at the Pérez Art Museum Miami and ""Home Away from Home"" at the Pola Museum in Tokyo. The volume traces Parlá’s evolution from his early days of wall markings in Miami to his international acclaim, showcasing his innovative blend of gestural abstraction, calligraphy, and urban textures that have redefined contemporary painting. Spanning from 1985 to 2025, the richly illustrated book features paintings, murals, rare sketchbooks, and archival materials. It also includes essays by curators Jonathan Rider and Iván de la Nuez, alongside an intimate interview with Rey Parlá, his brother and creative collaborator. Central to the narrative is Parlá’s profound reflection on his near-death experience with COVID-19, which deepens his exploration of home as a mosaic of memories and displacement. Celebrating his role as a cultural bridge, the monograph underscores his connections to a global community of friendships, travels, and collaborations. Parlá emerges as a poetic chronicler of surfaces, textures, and resilience—an artist whose work captures the luminous paths of exploration and belonging.

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9788857254272

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Rey Parlá (b. 1971) is a Cuban American multi-hyphenate artist working in photography, experimental film, writing, and visual storytelling. Based in Brooklyn, he creates lens-based and cameraless works exploring time, perception, and abstraction. He holds dual B.A.s from F.I.U. and collaborates with his brother José Parlá on interdisciplinary projects. Jonathan Rider is a New York-based an artist, curator and writer, and has been Assistant Director at The FLAG Art Foundation since 2014, where he works with artists to develop ambitious solo and group exhibitions, while also expanding the institution’s online presence. Iván de la Nuez is a Cuban essayist, art critic and curator. In 1995, he received the Rockefeller Fellowship for the Humanities. He has written art and literary criticism in numerous media and has been director of the Center for the Image of Barcelona, La Virreina, as well as curator of several highly relevant exhibitions.

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