Contact Photo Presents
El Campo: Images from the Dominican Countryside Photographs by Chris Perez
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 4th, 2026, 6–9 PM
51 Porter Ave, Brooklyn, NY
On view through September Contact Photo
Many of us carry only a distant connection to family roots abroad — a quiet kind of longing that's hard to name but easy to recognize. Chris Perez's commitment to rediscovering his own is what drew us to this work. El Campo is a reminder of how photography can bridge that distance, reconnecting us to places and people that emigration pulls us away from.
Returning to the land of his roots, Perez has spent the past several years documenting daily life in the Dominican countryside, in the area where his great-grandparents lived. Through portraiture, quiet interiors, and observations of the slow rhythms of rural life, the project examines a lesser-seen Dominican Republic, away from the white-sand beach resorts and sprawling cities. It looks instead toward the interior of the island, and to the small communities where the values of family, land and faith express themselves most clearly.
Through repeated visits, this work seeks to reestablish a cultural connection lost through emigration. It is a reflection on belonging, dwelling in the tension and beauty of finding a connection to a heritage that has become distant.
Chris Perez (b. Brooklyn, 1993) is a documentary photographer based in New York whose work explores identity, memory, and belonging through the lens of growing up as the son of an immigrant. He holds a BA in Media from CUNY Hunter College, and his work has been exhibited internationally, including at the PhotoVogue Festival in Milan, the Griffin Museum of Photography, ENFOCO's gallery in the Bronx, and the Bronx Documentary Center's Latin American Foto Festival. His photographs have been published in British Journal of Photography, Water~Stone Review, and Nueva Luz, and his commissioned work has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue Latin America, Vogue Mexico, The Atlantic, and Complex. He is a recipient of the Google Creator Labs & Aperture Photo Fund award, the Lucie Foundation's "Heritage" Grand Prize, and a 2025 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship.
Location: Contact Photo (51 Porter Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237)
Gallery Hours:
Monday - Friday: 12 - 6:30pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12 - 5pm
Contact Photo is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting emerging lens-based artists by providing a space for them to learn, create and exhibit work.
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