José Parlá Moves With Paint at BAM’s Next Wave Festival

by: Kate Messinger

Watching a painter work can becoming hypnotizing, a series of spontaneous yet precise movements not unlike a dance. Decisions are made with each stroke but unlike a dancer, you can see the gestures that came before. As the first commissioned artist at BAM’s new Fisher space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, José Parlá layers paint, image and text to create a visual layering of time and space, a history of movement on canvas.

Parlá has shown his work around the world, including his most recent project collaborating with French artist JR to create murals as part of the Havana Biennial in Cuba (shown above). Parlá will be unveiling his 37 X 7 foot mural entitled Gesture Performing Dance, Dance Performing Gesture on September 10th as part of BAM’s 30th Annual Next Wave Festival.

Related:

Faces of Humanity | An interview with global photographer and street artist, JR