Art Calendar, 14 July 2023

Phosphene by José Parlá at Ben Brown Fine Arts, London

11 October to 17 November 2023

"Through 'Phosphene' I am envisioning a community of memories that stimulates the imaginations of those looking at my paintings." - José Parlá

José Parlá, Layered Electric Retinal Waves, 2023, Mixed media on canvas, 182.9 x 243.8 cm; (72 x 96 in.)

Art Calendar, 14 July 2023: London's Ben Brown Fine Arts is showing the new series "Phosphene" by New York-based Cuban artist José Parlá. This is the artist's third solo show, following his highly acclaimed 2019 exhibition Textures of Memory, organised by Ben Brown and curator Dieter Buchhart.

Phosphene is a poignant new body of work. The significance of these new works is partly due to their inspiration following the artist's near-death experience with Covid (2021). 

José Parlá's works are on the border between abstraction and calligraphy. He is also known for his installations of large-scale paintings. For example, he painted the mural The Nature of Language for the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University.

José Parlá, Soothing Light, 2023, Mixed media on canvas, 101.6 x 152.4 cm; (40 x 60 in.)

His painting ONE: Union of the Senses in 2014 hangs in the lobby of One World Trade Center. The painting measures 4.6 m × 27 m and is considered the largest painting in New York City. Its bright colours, Parlá's trademark style, are striking. According to the planners, the estimated 20,000 visitors per day were to be welcomed by an abstract luminous painting.

Phosphene series

The Phosphene series was created during the artist's stay in his hometown of Miami, Florida. According to his gallerists, the artist began experimenting with painting outdoors - as a contrast to his industrial studio in Brooklyn - and using the sun to clarify the abstract imagery in his mind. The title of the exhibition is said to be derived from the visual phenomenon that gives the impression of seeing light with eyes closed in the form of colourful flashes, dots or shapes that slowly travel across the eye.

Through 'Phosphene' I am envisioning a community of memories that stimulates the imaginations of those looking at my paintings. - José Parlá

Ben Brown Fine Art

11 October to 17 November 2023

benbrownfinearts.com

Photography Tyler Haft, courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts

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