José Manuel Nápoles' work can be described as grotesque yet charming, with an occasional focus on social critique. His life has been filled with intense and painful moments that have driven him to find beauty in the grotesque. His paintings share the cartoonish and childlike style that distinguishes the work of acclaimed New York-based artists Josh Smith and Eddie Martinez. Flirting with the boundaries of 'good taste,' Nápoles produces expressive paintings featuring unsettling and outrageous characters. His canvases are full of exaggerated gestures, energetic and robust strokes, and vibrant colors dominate his imagery. Nápoles combines traditional oil painting with the urban spirit of graffiti, creating works that reflect the complexity of his own life experiences. He often focuses on specific themes such as immigration, social justice, and his own struggle to prevail, and his paintings embody pictorial and psychological projections that capture the anxious darkness of human beings.

Born in 1983 in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, Nápoles grew up in the rural area of the Caribbean island, where he studied traditional painting and illustration at the Leopoldo Romañach Academy of Fine Arts in Santa Clara. Given the sociopolitical conditions of his native Cuba, Nápoles emigrated to Venezuela in 2016 in search of better opportunities. However, once in Venezuela, he had to undertake another migratory journey due to the country's deteriorating economic and political conditions. He traveled on foot through the Amazon rainforest, a traumatic event that allowed him to reach the United States. Since 2017, Nápoles has been living in Louisville, Kentucky, fully embracing the beauty and generosity of a free country.