José Parlá was born in Miami in 1973. He is a Cuban-American. He graduated from Miami Dade College, Florida, Savannah College of Art & Design, Georgia, and New World School of the Arts, Miami, Miami.

José Parlá is famous for his calligraphy and bright colours, and he uses a distinctive abstract way to express his awareness of history and the richness of mankind and language. For example, the project ""Wrinkles of the City - Havana, Cuba” (2012) that he collaborated with a French artist JR (Jean René); and large-scale mural at well-known institutions: “Diary of Brooklyn” (2012) of Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, ""Nature of Language"" (2013) of Hunt Library by SNØHETTA, North Carolina State University, ""ONE: Union of the Sense"" of ONE World Trade Center, New York (2014), ""Amistad América"" (2018) of Landmarks, University of Texas at Austin, etc.

His exhibition experience, including ""Seeing | Saying: Images and Words"" (2016) of Davidson College Art Galleries, North Carolina, ""Victors for Art: Michigan’s Alumni Collectors"" (2017) of University of Michigan Museum of Art, ""José Parlá: No Space / Non Place"" (2018) of Neuberger Museum of Art, and ""José Parlá: It's Yours"" (2020-2021) of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, etc.; His artworks have been selected by The National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom, The Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York, POLA Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan, and other public institutions.