Vik Muniz is a Brazilian artist and photographer known for his use of everyday objects to create photo-representational imagery of pop culture icons and art history. His goal is to create repurposed imagery of old themes in a new, innovative light.

Muniz was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1961. Inspired by the work of Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons, the young Muniz moved to New York and started a career in art. There, he began experimenting with quotidian objects such as sugar, thread, chocolate syrup, garbage, and even diamonds to create his work. Once his initial composition is complete, he captures a photograph of it and destroys the original piece so that the work only exists as a print. Muniz dismisses the idea of the ‘original’ and, instead, embraces the individuality of the reproduction.

Muniz’s work has been featured in international solo and group exhibitions. His work is also included in numerous publications and the collections of the MoMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum in New York, NY, the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL, the Tate in London, England, and many more. In addition to his art practice, Muniz has worked on a number of curatorial projects as well such as the ninth edition of the exhibition “Artist’s Choice” (2008-2009), staged at MoMA in New York.