Collection: VAVA RIBEIRO

Vava Ribeiro (1977) is a Brazilian photographer and surfer whose practice blends documentary observation with a sensory, dreamlike visual language. Having spent decades travelling the world in pursuit of images and waves, Ribeiro works from an embodied perspective where movement, place and instinct shape the picture. His photographs often dissolve the boundary between life and landscape, revealing intimate moments within surf communities, remote coastlines and the shifting rhythms of the Pacific.

Known for his long-term projects, including his acclaimed monograph North Shore, Ribeiro explores themes of belonging, mythology, nature and the emotional undercurrents that exist within environments shaped by water. His images carry a quiet depth — sun-bleached, salt-worn, and attentive to the vulnerability and power of those who inhabit the margins of the sea. Ultimately, Ribeiro’s work is a meditation on freedom, connection and the fluid meeting point between art and the natural world.