Vava Ribeiro grew up on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. In the early 90s, after attending design school and painting classes, he left Brazil on a surfing trip in search of new waves. He studied photography and established a successful photography career in New York City, specializing in contemporary style portraiture and fashion. In April 2000 he won the jury’s special award at the “Festival des Arts de la Mode” in Hyères, France. In the same year, he was selected by PDN magazine as one of the top 30 photographers of his generation. Ribeiro has exhibited extensively in France, Brazil, Japan and the Netherlands. He is a contributor to key publications worldwide, including: dazed & confused, purple and New York Times Magazine.