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 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 the mid-90s.
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 2025, his works have been selected by the jury of the New York Triennial of Latin American Art. N.Y, US.
Selected by the jury of Larnaca International Biennale 2023. Larnaca, Chipre; The International Biennale of Contemporary Sacred Art. Menton. Francia and VI Valencia Biennial CVO. Valencia. Spain.
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.
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 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.
Anonymous, nº3. Original mural 1.3m x 1m. 2020. 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, 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.
2024
Nature Dead Nº 10 from the Nature Dead series
Mental Maps. nº3. Original 60 cm x 60 cm. + 5 Test print. 2023.
From the Puzzles series
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.