Cuban artist José Parlá’s new film project with the National YoungArts Foundation, ‘Together,’ offers a collaborative, unified view to benefit the creative community.

Jos&eacute; Parl&aacute; is doing exactly what he has been doing for the last 30 years&mdash;using his art to redefine the world around him. Rooted in hip hop culture and graffiti art, as well as principles of language and art history, Parl&aacute;&rsquo;s work breaks down barriers, uplifts, and aims to realize a better future. And his latest film, <a href="http://www.youngarts.org/together" target="_blank">Together</a>, proves no exception. In this collaborative project, which boasts art world notables <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/hublot-launches-new-watch-with-shepard-fairey" target="_blank">Shepard Fairey</a> (OBEY Giant) and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kaws/" target="_blank">KAWS</a>, the short film brings together a range of perspectives on birds. These visions are then preserved as limited-edition film stills to benefit emerging artists through the <a href="https://www.youngarts.org/?_vsrefdom=adwords&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA3NX_BRDQARIsALA3fILFYPORy-niC8yS1z3iXj3DFKJqUqUyOrq1L4CnCKMXwOIYXHocLDcaAjj4EALw_wcB" target="_blank">National YoungArts Foundation</a>.

For Parl&aacute;&rsquo;s part in the project, he leaned on the experimentation that has been tied to his practice for decades. Raised in a creative household, from his adolescence, Parl&aacute; took an interest in the arts. At 16, he received a scholarship to Savannah College of Art &amp; Design. He moved from his initial drawings and graffiti art&mdash;often under the nickname &quot;Ease&quot;&mdash;to mixed-media paintings culling urban realist effects, large-scale murals, photography, video, and sculpture.

&ldquo;By the early &lsquo;80s, there was a global explosion of hip hop culture including visual arts. Artists like Futura 2000, Lee Qui&ntilde;ones, <a href="https://www.lofficielmalaysia.com/fashion/coach-drops-disney-mickey-mouse-x-keith-haring" target="_blank">Keith Haring</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielmalaysia.com/fashion/coach-x-jean-michel-basquiat-a-celebration-of-downtown-new-york" target="_blank">Jean-Michel Basquiat</a>, and A-One were exhibiting in New York and European galleries,&rdquo; the artist tells L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. &ldquo;The underground art of writers took up space in the streets and somewhat into the mainstream and became seen by some critics and the public as a new important art form.&rdquo;

jose-parla-artist-studio-kaws-shepherd-fairey.jpg

Parl&aacute;&#39;s style has also been influenced by his extensive travels and experiences living in Miami, San Juan, and New York, as well as his Cuban heritage. The artist often emphasizes ideals of freedom, authenticity, and the importance of personal journey in his work. &ldquo;I wanted to reflect my environment and the codes of writing and art history, which led me to create my own style,&rdquo; says Parl&aacute;. &ldquo;Through the past few decades, I have experimented painting with words, language, and abstraction inspired by walls and buildings that displayed dilapidated surfaces that recall an archeological form of painting, excavating the layers with my imagination, while keeping a calligraphic aspect within the work.&rdquo;

Parl&aacute;&rsquo;s message of positivity and openness has long guided his art practice, including his mural &ldquo;ONE: Union of the Senses&rdquo; in One World Trade Center and &quot;Wrinkles of the City: Havana&quot; with French artist JR. Marking time and histories&mdash;both personal and communal, Parl&aacute;&rsquo;s work reflects the stirred artistry of Cy Twombly and Ed Ruscha amid old posters from city streets. Beneath swatches of color, abstraction, and calligraphy, what emerges is deeply layered in aesthetics and meaning.

In navigating his creative path from street art to museums, Parl&aacute;&rsquo;s recent exhibition at the Bronx Museum of the Arts&mdash;aptly titled, <a href="http://www.bronxmuseum.org/exhibitions/jose-parla-itand39s-yours" target="_blank">It&rsquo;s Yours</a>&mdash;paid homage to the communities that fostered his creative ascent and his faith in art&rsquo;s ability to transform lives. &ldquo;Freedom is our most important human right and art allows people to think freely. If your situation feels oppressed, art is a pathway to freedom of the mind,&rdquo; says Parl&aacute;. &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/the-directors-of-rbg-talk-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-s-legacy-and-feminism" target="_blank">Justice Ginsburg</a> would say, the constant struggle to achieve change happens incrementally. Every day, there are many battles, change happens incrementally&mdash;and continually.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Now, in the Together project, Parl&aacute; extends these global sentiments. With the National YoungArts Foundation&mdash;whose alumni include <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/daniel-arsham-galerie-perrotin-2018" target="_blank">Daniel Arsham</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/viola-davis-cover-winter-2018" target="_blank">Viola Davis</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/hunter-schafer-euphoria-sketchbook-art-2019">Hunter Schafer</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/timothee-chalamet-movies-dont-look-up-netflix-ariana-granda-leonardo-dicaprio" target="_blank">Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet</a>&mdash;a timely emphasis is placed on mutual solidarity. &ldquo;The film&rsquo;s message is one of unity and our interdependence on one another, which is more recognizable now than ever before,&rdquo; shares the artist. &ldquo;I hope that it brings a sense of resilience and hope, and that it encourages people to remain engaged and aware. As a collective, we have a voice that can bring about positive change.&rdquo;

Together&nbsp;will premiere on January 25, 2021.

José Parlá’s Latest Project with Shepard Fairey and KAWS Imagines Collective Horizons

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