vik muniz

Vik Muniz's (b. 1961, São Paulo, Brazil) body of work explores the limits of representations within visual arts, twinning his production with an urge to grasp the world’s current state of affairs. Using raw materials such as thorn paper, cotton, sugar, chocolate or waste, the artist meticulously composes landscapes, portraits or other depictions offering alternative representations and understandings of these materials and the images they render.

According to the critic and curator Luisa Duarte, ‘his work demands a retrospective gaze from the public. In order to ‘read’ his photos, one must question and analyse the process of making, the materials used, as well as identify the original image, so as to attain the meaning of the image. Vik’s work brings into play a series of questions for our ‘regard’ and creates a space for doubt, which is where we build our understanding.’

In tandem with his artistic practice Vik Muniz has headed social projects that rely on art and creativity to aid low-income communities in Brazil and has, also produced artworks that aim to give visibility to marginalized groups in society.

Vik Muniz lives and works in New York, United States, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Recent solo shows include: Fotocubismo, at Nara Roesler (2021), in São Paulo, Brazil; Vik Muniz, at The Sarasota Museum of Art (SMOA), Ringling College of Art and Design (2019), in Sarasota, USA; Imaginária, at Solar do Unhão, Museu de Arte Moderna de Salvador (MAM-BA) (2019), in Salvador, Brazil;  Vik Muniz: Verso, at Belvedere Museum Vienna (2018), in Vienna, Áustria;  Afterglow – Pictures of Ruins, at Palazzo Cini (2017), in Venice, Italy. He has featured in several biennials, such as the 56^th Venice Biennale, Italy (2015); 24^th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (1998); among others. Recent group shows include: Naar Van Gogh, at Vincent van GoghHuis (2018), in Zundert, The Netherlands; Troposphere – Chinese and Brazilian Contemporary Art, at Beijing Minsheng Art Museum (2017), in Beijing, China; Look at Me!: Portraits and Other Fictions from the ”la Caixa” Contemporary Art Collection, at Pera Museum (2017), in Istanbul, Turkey; Botticelli Reimagined, at Victoria & Albert Museum (2016), in London, UK. His works are included in the collections of: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS), Madrid, Spain; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA; Tate Gallery, London, UK; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA.