Sobre el Artista
José Ney Mila Espinosa, of Cuban-American nationality, was born in Havana on March 4, 1959.
He is a self-taught photographer, recognized within documentary and author photography since the mid-80s in Cuba. He previously trained as a draftsman, craftsman/artist and civil construction designer and finally, abandoning his architectural career, devoting himself fully to photography in 1988.
Since 1989 he worked as a press photographer, then as a freelance photographer and finally as a photographer for the Fototeca de Cuba until he emigrated in 1995.
From 1995 to 2010 he lived in Spain as a freelance photojournalist based mainly at the newspaper Heraldo de Soria and collaterally with other publications in Navarra and Madrid, in addition to his darkroom services and the sale of laboratory chemicals of his invention, protected by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office in Barcelona.
In 2010 he settled in the United States, in central Florida where he dedicates himself to photography of Latin social events and conceptual photography related to migrations.
To date, his works have participated in more than a hundred exhibitions in specialized spaces around the world and received international awards and distinctions in similar circumstances.
In 2023 his works have been selected by the jury of Larnaca International Biennale. Larnaca, Chipre; The International Biennale of Contemporary Sacred Art. Menton. Francia and VI Valencia Biennial CVO. Valencia. Spain. (International Call for digital projection)
He was a member of the International Selection Committee of the XI International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Florence, 2017 and XII International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Florence, 2019 invited by its organizers, Italy.
Selected by the juries of the "VI International Art Biennial SIART 09" 2009 and "VII International Art Biennial SIART 2011". La Paz, Bolivia.
Guest artist at the Fotofest 94 (International Biennial of Photography) “The New Generation: Contemporary Cuba Photography from the Island, 1980 to the present” Fotofest 1994. Houston, EE.UU. and the Biennial ¨Photographic Spring 98¨ (Tristan Barbará Gallery) Barcelona 1998, Spain.
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.
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 and more recently “Land, Land, Land” in 2021, Silver Winner, Tokyo International Photo Awards. Japan; In 2020 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.
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 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 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 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; 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.