Home Away from Home

Although his work resonates with the history of modern painting, it has often been described as evoking the walls of the city. Describing his practice as “psychogeographic painting,” Parlá observes traces of memory left on city walls and streets and expresses the social dimensions that emerge there through the lens of his own lived experience and cultural background. The city and the street are also sites where the ongoing frictions and clashes of class, race, ethnicity, identity, and migration in multicultural societies become visible. Parlá’s reflections on the meaning of place take form in a body of work shaped by his own history, memory, experience, and message—rooted in the immigrant cultures in which he was raised—and resonate with broader social histories of migration, inequality, and resistance.

For Parlá, physically moving through the world and encountering new places and forms of expression has also been a vital part of his development as an artist. Since 1999, he has visited Japan many times, deepening his relationships with Japanese artists and cultural figures while engaging in residencies at kiln studios in Bizen and in Tokyo, and collaborating with artists and fashion designers. His work has been deeply influenced by his ongoing dialogue with Japan’s distinctive climate, landscape, culture, and art. His calligraphy in particular has evolved into a visual language that transcends cultural boundaries and builds connections across diverse artistic traditions. Moreover, having recovered from a coma caused by COVID-19, Parlá has become increasingly attuned not only to the ever-changing nature of the city, but also to the cycles of life: an awareness that has come to shape his recent work.

This exhibition, ‘Home Away from Home‘, approaches Parlá’s work not through the idea of home as a single, locatable place, but as a constantly shifting landscape shaped by memory, movement, and human connection. At POLA MUSEUM ANNEX, the exhibition traces Parlá’s broader practice and roots through works including Bizen ware and pieces made in collaboration with Japanese partners, and features a total of 18 paintings, including one new large-scale work centered on the theme of Tokyo. The exhibition highlights how a range of intersecting elements—encounters with cities and travel, collaboration, historical events, memory, and emotion—have shaped Parlá’s artistic expression.

At KOTARO NUKAGA Roppongi, Parlá presents new paintings inspired by his time spent in Japan and the encounters he experienced here. Having engaged deeply with the many faces of Japanese cities and with friends and fellow artists, Parlá describes these new works as an homage to his friends and to the moments that have enriched his artistic journey.

We warmly invite you to experience this special exhibition.