1974-1976 Sir John Cass School of Art/London, UK, Studied Art and Photography
Studied with Mick Williamson
1976-The Photographer's Place/ Derbyshire, UK, Worshop with Charles Harbutt
1976-1979 London College of Printing, UK, Higher Diploma in Creative Photography
1979 -The Photographer's Gallery/ London, UK, Worshop with Richard Misrach
1979 -1980 Manchester Polytechnic, UK, M.A. in Graphic Design/Photography
1980 -The Photographer's Place/ Derbyshire, UK, Workshop with Lewis Baltz
Chronology
1952-Born, Caracas, Venezuela
1971 He studied gravure, design, serigraphy and photography at "Taller 4 Rojo " in Bogotá (CO). He bought his first camera a "Lubitel 6x6" (Russian camera) and made his first snaps, which were printed later in issue #8 of European Photography (D). Hitch-hike across Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
1972 He moved to London and bought a Nikkormat.
1973 He studied English and continued to work in the techniques he learned in Bogota. He met Rebeca Steinbaum. Both traveled to Zurich, were he shot his first series of photographs in black and white: empty landscapes with lot of snow
1974 He worked during the day in a vegetarian restaurant and studied at a part-time school called: "Sir John Cass School of Art", London (UK). There, under the great guidance of Mick Williamson he began to build his first portfolio of photographs taken in Zurich. He worried about not having people in his pictures, so he started as a discipline, to look for a subject.
1976 During a demonstration of Teddy Boys at Hide Park, London (GB), he began to document their community. Those images were the beginning of a portfolio, which he presented to entering at London College of Printing.
A workshop with Charles Harbutt, at The Photographer's Place in Derbyshire (GB), marked the road in front of his eyes.
1977 He continued to complete his research on the Teddy Boys community and to photograph them obsessively all over Great Britain.
1978 First trip to Barcelona, Spain to exhibit "Teddy Boys in London", where he met Joan Fontcuberta. Started the series "Encuentros", Flash+Movement in black and white taken with a Leica CL which he bought from Paulo Nozolino at London College of Printing. He met Kim Nygaard and Ricardo Jimenez, and together they met Manuel Alvarez Bravo, at Photographer's Gallery, London (GB).
1979 He finished his studies at London College of Printing. During the final exhibit at that college, he met Brian Griffin, who invited him to began working together. They did a lot of work for British Music and rock groups: Iggy Pop, Lene Lovich, Echo and the Bunnymen, Ultravox, Peter Gabriel, and Ian Dury.
Gomez Perez was also doing freelance photography for some London magazines like "New Society", "Campaign", "Management Today" and others.
He met Andreas Muller-Pohle who asked him to be correspondent in UK for European Photography Magazine (D). at that time he also met Richard Misrach at Photographer's Gallery, London (GB).
Until 1982, He worked as a freelance photographer in London, particularly for "Management Today" guided by art director Roland Schenk. He began to do portraits of businessmen and editorials for several London publications.
1980 He met Lewis Baltz, at Photographer's Place in Derbyshire (GB).
1982 After ten years in London he moved to Paris. His various solo exhibitions took him across Europe - Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Spain.
He met Graciela Iturbide and Pedro Meyer in Paris. They exhibited together at Studio 666 as part of The Latin American Photography in Paris
1984 He lived in Tarragona, thanks to David Balsells and Chantal Grande of Galería Forvm. They exhibited and sold his photographs extensively and took care of him while in Spain.
He was the curator to "Semana International de la Fotografia" SIF85, in Guadalajara, Spain. After he went to Lisbon, Portugal he stayed with his best friend Paulo Nozolino. Finally he decided to go back to Caracas, Venezuela after 12 years of absence, to spend time with his mother. He is her only son.
1987 He obtained a grant from the Venezuelan Culture Ministry to continue his Urban Landscapes in Caracas. It took him one year to prepare a 30 photographs portfolio. All photographs were made with the format 6X7 Pentax. 1987 He began to work with Ricardo Jimenez as a Freelance Photographer Team, which they called: "RICAR-2". Together they had done portraits of all businessmen in Venezuelan Society. They started to work for Gerente de Venezuela Magazine, thus producing an extensive portfolio of portraits of the businesspersons who run the country (colour).
1990 He met Isabel Mege. She requested him to photograph her. She came from Paris to Venezuela and was his model for a month. A great inspiration to new photographs
1991 September 15: his first son, Mauricio, was born.
1992 A limited edition portfolio (12+VII) was published: "Memento" in collaboration with Andreas Muller-Pohle, Joan Fontcuberta, John Webb, Philippe Scholz-Ritterman, Arno Jansen, Bernard Plossu, and dedicated to the memory of a common friend: Derek Bennet.
Gomez Perez was invited to Houston Fotofest'92. 1992 He received support from Polaroid to work in black and white/positive-negative material. He then began a new series of nudes and portraits of women.
1993 July 27/ Samuel and Nicholas, his twin sons, were born.
1994 He began a new series of photographs, with a plastic camera (Lina), which he found at the studio of Nelson Garrido in Caracas, and another (Diana) borrowed from Sandro Oramas. The outcoming portfolio was called "First Steps and is made up of pictures of his childrens, in black and white/120. The first issue of Extra Camara Magazine was published.Gomez Perez was invited for the second time to Houston Fotofest'94. He traveled to Houston to attend the opening day of The Global Environment exhibit. The first issue of Extra Camara Magazine was published; he was the coordinator to this quarterly magazine between 1994-1998.
1995 A second issue of Extra Camara was published: Amazonia.
1996 Gomez Perez was invited for the second time to Houston Fotofest'94. He traveled to Houston to attend the opening day of The Global Environment exhibit.
1997 Gomez Perez curated the first exhbition of Robert Mapplethorpe in Venezuela. at Museo Alejandro Otero,Caracas. He was invited by Tahia Rivero, President of the Museum at the time
2001 He was invited by Pedro Meyer to exhibit part of his portfolio: First Steps, at zonezero.com. 2001 At present, he earns a living as a freelance photographer under the firm "RICAR-2", and continues to work on his personal art work.
Awards
1979 First Prize, Asahi Pentax Award, London, UK
Solo Exhibitions
1997 Primeros pasos, Tijuana Cultural Center, Fotoseptiembre, Mexico
1987 A Marginal Body, The Australian Centre for Photography, Sidney, Australia
1987 Le Temps D'un Mouvement, Centre National de la Photographie, Paris, France
1985 Das Aktfoto, Muchner Stadmuseum, Munich, Germany
1984 La Photographie Creative, Pavillon des Arts,curated by J.C.Legmany, Paris, France
1983 Le Corps, Photographie Ouverte, Charleroi, Belgium
1982 European Photographers, Rencontres International de la Photographie, Arles, France
1982 Floods of Light, Flash Photography 1851-1981, Photographer's Gallery, London
1981 Young Photographer, Rencontres International de la Photographie, Arles, France
1981 New Work In Britain, The Photographer's Gallery, London, UK
1980 Gallery artists, David Dawson Gallery, London, UK
1980 The Undecisive Moment, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK
1980 Mouvement/ Corps, Galerie Viviane Esders, Paris, France
1978 Punks & Teds, The Photographre's Gallery, London, UK
1978 Open Photography 1978, Midland Group Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Collections
Centre National d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Fotografiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Museum Nicephore Niépce, France
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France
Paul Getty Museum, San Francisco, USA
The Royal Bibliotheque, Copenhagen, Denmark
Forvn Gallery Collection, Tarragona, Spain
"Nueve Miradas: Bigott en sus 80 años"
Fundacion Bigott, Caracas, Venezuela, 2001
Ten Contemporary Venezuelan Photographers: "De-Centering Visions". crated by Edmundo Bracho. Du Bois Gallery, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pensilvania, USA, 1998
Robert Mapplethorpe Catalog.
Exhibition curated by Ricardo Gomez Perez.
Museo Alejandro Otero, Caracas, Venezuela, 1997
Photographers Encyclopaedia Internetional/ CD Rom.
Michel & Michele Auer. Ides et Calendes,
Neuchatel, Switzerland, 1997
Extra Camara Magazine #.7
CONAC, Caracas, Venezuela, 1996
Fotoseptiembre Latinoamericano'96.
Patricia Mendoza. Centro de la Imagen, Mexico, DF, 1996
Kobe Fund Exhibition. Center of Photography
Tokyo Institute Of Technology
Tokyo, Japan, 1996
"The Global Environment"
Wendy Watriss & Fred Baldwin.
Fotofest'94, Houston, USA, 1994
European Photography #51.
Andreas Muller PohleEuropean Photography
Gottingen, Germany, 1992
"La Photographie a la Croisee des Chemins".
Pierre Borhan. La Manufacture
Paris, France, 1990
"150 Years of Photography"
Fotografiska Museet
Stockholm, Sweden, 1990
European Photography #40.
Andreas Muller Pohle. European Photography
Gottingen, Germany, 1989
"A Marginal Body, The Photographic Image in Latin America" curated by Charles Merewether. The Australian Centre for Photography
Sidney, Australia, 1987
