Vavá Ribeiro

Vavá Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a NYC / PARIS based photographer & director, whose practice explores contemporary portraiture and cultural identity. Vavá grew up on the beaches of Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, where he first discovered surfing and developed an early sensibility for light, movement, and youth culture. 

After attending design school and taking painting classes, he left Brazil on what was meant to be a surf trip. A detour to New York City became permanent : it was there that he committed to photography full-time and began shaping the sensorial, intimate visual language that defines his work today.  Beach culture, especially the energy of Rio, was Vavá’s first creative imprint, and the shore remains a recurring setting throughout his images. The light at the edge of the ocean, gentle yet unflinching, mirrors a broader quality in his work :  romantic, natural, and instinctively attuned to the subtle truths of youth. 

He has exhibited in France, Brazil, Japan, and the Netherlands ; contributed regularly to influential publications including i-D, Dazed & Confused, Purple, and The New York Times Magazine ; received the Jury’s Special Award at the 2000 “Festival des Arts de la Mode” in Hyères, France ; and was named one of PDN Magazine’s Top 30 Photographers of his generation. In 2023, Vavá released North Shore, a photobook published by Jesus Blue, offering a vivid portrait of Hawaii’s surfing mecca. 

He is currently working on his first documentary film, Encantado, which explores the myth of the pink dolphin in the Amazon River and its deep cultural, environmental, and symbolic resonance.