Mental Maps nº 2. 2022. from the Puzzles series
Packing nº 1. 2023 from the Puzzles series
Packing nº 2. 2023 from the Puzzles series
José Ney
José Ney Mila Espinosa, of Cuban-American nationality, was born in Havana, 1959.
He is a self-taught photographer, recognized in Cuba for his documentary and artistic photography since the late 1980s. He previously worked as a civil engineering technician, then in construction project budgeting and scheduling, and as a craftsman/artist (contracts with the Cuban Cultural Heritage Fund).
Finally, after abandoning his architecture studies at CUJAE (José Antonio Echeverría University of Technology), he dedicated himself entirely to photography. Since the end of 1988, he has worked as a press photographer, then as a freelancer, and simultaneously as a photographer for the Cuban Photo Archive.
Since 1995, he has lived in Spain as a freelance photojournalist and since 2010 he has lived and worked in Central Florida, where he focuses on photographing Latino social events and conceptual photography related to migration.
To date, his work has received over 170 international awards and distinctions and has been featured in a similar number of exhibitions in 60 cities across 20 countries.
Identity Bank, nº1. 2020, from the Puzzles series.
In the realm of digital art, the boundaries between human, machine, and environment become permeable, and algorithms transform into materialities, sounds, and images that transmute into affective landscapes. Technology reveals itself as a porous surface of contact, reverberation, translation, and transcreation. A translator of invisible forces, a modulator of dissident temporalities... (excerpt)
Tassia Mila.
Curator, Pavilion kamîm tuhut.
His work is in various private and public collections such as Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) Houston, TX; Lehigh University Art Galleries Bethlehem, PA; Palmer Museum of Art University Park, PA; Southeast Museum of Photography Daytona Beach, FL. EE.UU; at FFF - Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany; the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico City and Fototeca de Cuba among others.
New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT)
Sensorial Fusion: Relationship Art & Architecture
Among the distinctions that stand out the most are those awarded for his self-published documentary photobooks, such as “Notes for the end of a century…” in 2020, Bronze Winner, Tokyo International Photo Awards, Japan and AWARD SHORTLIST, London International Creative Competition, England (United Kingdom). Too “The Bull, the last gladiator” in 2020. Awarded the Jury TOP 5 selection and Bronze Winner at the Tokyo International Photo Awards. Japan; Silver Winner (Editorial category) at International Photo Awards, Moscow, Russia, Silver and Bronze Winner International Film Photography Awards (Analog Sparks 2023) EE.UU. and more recently “Land, Land, Land”, In 2021 Silver Winner, Tokyo International Photo Awards. Japan; Bronze Winner at, Le Prix de la Photography de Paris (PX3); Bronze Winner at Moscow International Photo Awards and Bronze Winner at Budapest International Photo Awards 2020.
....By merging artistic expression with architectural form, NYLAAT 2025 reimagines environments that evoke emotional resonance, community, and cultural continuity, transcending mere function and technique. For generations, artists have documented the shifting contours of cities and domestic life, capturing both the vitality and alienation of urban density. In recent decades, creative discourse has expanded to address pressing global concerns: climate change, gentrification, migration, and globalization....
José Ney Milà Espinosa: Land Land Land
The FLORIDA MUSEUM of PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS
On View: January 14 – February 16, 2025
The “Land Land Land” exhibition offers a captivating collection of photographs by José Ney Milà Espinosa, a Cuban-born artist exploring rich spiritual and cultural heritage of the “Yoruba” (Afro-Cuban Santeria) and “Kimbiza, Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje,” a lesser-known Afro-Cuban spiritual practice.
Through powerful imagery, the artist captures the vibrant rituals, sacred symbols, and deep rooted traditions that bridge the African diaspora in Cuba. The photographs not only highlight the ceremonial aspects of these faiths, but also convey the profound connection between the natural and spiritual worlds that these belief systems embrace.
This exhibition offers a visual narrative that honors the ongoing influence of Afro-Cuban spirituality in contemporary culture.
Robin O’Dell.
Executive Curator, Southeast Museum of Photography Daytona Beach.
His work has been exhibited at the Southeast Photography Museum. Daytona Beach, Florida; Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA), Tampa, FL; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) Houston, TX; The Latin Museum. Omaha, NE and the Menil Collection. Houston, Texas, United States; Museo Nacional de Fotografía. Archivo general del estado. Pachuca, Mexico; Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo. República Dominicana; Museo Tambo Quirquincho, La Paz, Bolivia; Museo de Huelva. Huelva, Spain; Charleroi Museum of Photography. Charleroi, Belgium among others.
For his most recent works he has been awarded Photographer of the Year (Still Life / Professional) 1839 Awards 2024. EE.UU; GOLD (The 23rd Japan International Art Exchange Exhibition). Tokio Metropolitan Art Museum, 2024. Japan. GOLD (Fine Art/Collage) Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris. PX3 2023, Francia; GOLD (Technique - Double Exposure) Analog Sparks Winner 2023. EE.UU; Silver Winner (Fine Art / Abstract) Moscow International Foto Awards. MIFA 2022. Rusia; (#1 in The 10 Best Mobile Photographers) and (#5 in The 10 Best Black and White Photographers) in the United States, awarded by One Eyeland 2021; Silver (Editorial Photo - Essay) MIFA 2020. Moscow International Foto Awards, Rusia and Second Prize, by the International Photography Awards jury, IPA 2019. EE.UU. among others.
Part of his works were selected in catalogs and books such as nL Larnaca Biennale 2023. Larnaca, Cyprus; IPA Book 2019 (International Photography Awards. EE.UU.); Monochrome Awards Annual Book (edition 2021 and edition 2018, International Black & White Photography Contest). EE.UU.; Under the Cuban Sun. Throckmorton, 2016. N.Y. EE.UU.; Nosotros los más infieles: narrativas críticas sobre el arte cubano (1993 - 2005) Spain 2008; Memoirs: Cuban plastic arts of the 20th century. California, 2004, EE.UU; Primavera fotográfica 1998. Bracelona, España;100 años de fotografía cubana.1998. Madrid; Fotofest´94. Contemporary Photography from the Island, 1980 to the Present. Houston, 1994. EE.UU; Cuban Photography, 1959-1992 Berlin, Germany 1993 and Aproximación crítica a la fotografía latinoamericana actual, Huelva, Spain, 1991 among others.