José Ney
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.
From 1995 to 2010 he resided in Spain as a freelance photojournalist based mainly in Soria and collaterally in Navarra and Madrid, in addition to his darkroom services and sale of his own laboratory chemicals 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 and XII International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Florence, invited by its organizers in 2017 and 2019 respectively, Florence, Italy.
Selected by the juries of the "VI International Art Biennial SIART 09" 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. Houston, EE.UU. and the Biennial ¨Photographic Spring 98¨ (Tristan Barbará Gallery) Barcelona, Spain.
Anonymous, nº3. Original mural 1.3m x 1m. 2020. From the Puzzles series.
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.
Mental Maps. nº3. Original 60 cm x 60 cm. + 5 Test print. 2023.
From the Puzzles series
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.