NOWNESS: Jose Parla "Off the Wall" by Matt Black

New York-based artist José Parlá got his start writing graffiti in Miami, but it was his dedication to transplanting the street to the gallery that won him acclaim in the art world. For his new show “Walls, Diaries and Paintings” at New York’s Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, the artist embarked on a global treasure hunt, collecting fliers and posters from Istanbul, Havana, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York. Parlá drew inspiration from urban walls in each of the cities, reproducing them in his richly textured works which layer the found materials with oil paint, saw dust, spray enamel and dirt, all punctuated by tag-styled signatures. Filmmaker Matt Black, who has known the artist for over a decade, discussed the personal history that informs Parlá’s methods in this new video from NOWNESS, the second episode in Black’s series, Reflections. Enjoy!