Jose Parla

Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá's work explores the thought and process behind his densely-layered graffiti paintings. Perhaps more than any other artist, José blurs the lines between word and image and graffiti and "fine art." In the video José explains his influences (including his brother Rey Parlá's abstract scratch films) and at his Fort Greene studio we get the rare privilege of seeing him work. Watching his fluid and distinct method of writing is endlessly mesmerizing, a technique that makes the prolific artist's output all the more impressive.