BIO

Tomás Gaspar is an author, educator, entrepreneur, and documentary photographer. He studied photography at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City.

Born in La Verne, California, to immigrant parents from the Philippines and Mexico, Gaspar brings a deeply personal understanding of identity, culture, and resilience to his work. Before fully dedicating himself to photography, he was an elementary school teacher for eight years. He earned his teaching credential from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Master’s degree in Education from the University of California, Irvine.

Gaspar’s first children’s book, The Adventures of Yolanda / La Aventura de Yolanda, was published in 1974 by New Seed Press. In 1995, Ginger’s Book: An AIDS Primer was published by Into the Light Press.

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The photographs in his upcoming book, Raising Generation HIV, originated as an assignment while studying at ICP under the mentorship of Nan Goldin and Patt Blu. What began as a classroom project evolved into more than 30 years of intimate photo documentation.

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In its early stages, Gaspar’s work was included in The Electric Blanket, an epic multimedia slide projection created by Nan Goldin, Allen Frame, and Frank Franca. The project was presented nationally in New York City, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Washington State, and internationally in Norway, Hungary, Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

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Gaspar’s ongoing series documenting the Lofton-Croteau family—two gay men raising and adopting HIV-positive children during the early years of the AIDS crisis—was always an integral part of The Electric Blanket. His photography has been widely exhibited and published, capturing a story unlike any other: the compassionate dedication of two men who created and sustained “a new kind of family” during one of the most challenging public health crises in modern history.

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For publication, exhibition inquiries, or to learn more about this body of work, please get in touch.