Iggy Crespop

Born

1972-10-19

Birthplace

Caracas, Venezuela

Biography

Ignacio Crespo Valdez (Caracas, Venezuela, 1972), also know as Iggy Crepop, is a filmmaker, visual artist, and audiovisual creator. His artistic journey began in the 1980s as the bassist of a punk rock band. During the 1990s, he studied music at the conservatory, trained as an actor with Teatro y Mimos de Venezuela, and pursued Sociology at the Central University of Venezuela. At the same time, he became involved in filmmaking, working on several short and feature films, including Silvia Toma un Baño by Enrique Blein and Celestial Clockwork by Fina Torres, where he served as assistant director during pre-production and operated the Super 8 camera for one sequence. In 1995, he co-founded the Caracas Collective for Artistic Production (CRAC) and directed his first short film, AEIOU, Rómulo Knows More Than You, in which he also starred. He later directed Gris (1999), shot on 16mm. After relocating to Madrid in 2001, Crespo worked at the post-production company MadPix, part of the DAS WERK group, then led by filmmaker Wim Wenders. In 2002, Gris and a selection of his photographs were presented at Casa de América as part of the seminar Violence in Art. He moved to London in 2003, where he joined The Actors Centre and worked as a freelance videographer and photographer, documenting the city's popular culture, concerts, theatre festivals, and carnivals while producing videos for musicians and artists. He later established himself as a cinematographer and editor for international media outlets. In 2006, he received the First Prize at the Salón de Jóvenes con FIA in Caracas. His photographic work has been exhibited internationally, and he founded JumpingSOFA Studio, producing films and audiovisual projects with a wide range of artists, including the first documentary on kinetic artist Elías Crespín and the only live performance by Gustavo Cerati filmed in London. Between 2018 and 2025, JumpingSOFA Studio produced more than forty projects, including music videos, short and feature films, commissioned works, and live events. Since 2025, Crespo has also worked as a concert promoter across the United Kingdom and Europe through his music project Rumbas & Rumbos.