Vik Muniz was born Vicente José de Oliveira Muniz in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1961. He studied advertising at the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado de São Paulo before moving to New York City in 1983. While he began his artistic career as a sculptor, he gradually shifted toward photography as his primary medium.

He is best known for his complex photographic works in which he recreates iconic art historical works and scenes from popular culture using a wide variety of found and unconventional materials — including chocolate, jelly, toys, and trash — and then presents the final piece as a photograph, exploring themes of memory, perception, and representation.

In 1998, he participated in the 24th International Biennale in São Paulo, and in 2001 he represented Brazil at the 49th Venice Biennale. In 2011, he was designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for his use of arts education as a driving force for social inclusion and sustainability.

He starred in the documentary film Waste Land (2010), which tracked his Pictures of Garbage project — a collaboration with waste pickers at the Jardim Gramacho landfill near Rio de Janeiro. His work is held in collections including the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. He currently lives and works between Brooklyn, New York and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.