‘Días’ by Pia Riverola captures a world of many wonders

Days are sometimes referred to as the barometer of our being. Some dissect them in hours, others in memories; Spanish photographer Pia Riverola does so in photographs. Her second book, Días – Spanish for days – beautifully chronicles fleeting moments Riverola has encountered during her travels over the past five or six years: a hazy snapshot of Mount Fuji glimpsed from a speeding Japanese bullet train, the gentle patter of Italian rain felt beneath an umbrella in Rome, a Spanish sobremesa (time relaxing after a meal).

‘Días’ by Pia Riverola, published by Loose Joints

Following the release of her first travel photography book, Flechazo, in 2022 – a love letter to Mexico City, the city the self-taught photographer moved to from Barcelona in her early twenties – Riverola envisioned Días as a tonal collage of emotions rather than a singular theme. This links to the spontaneity of first picking up a camera when she moved to a new country, a way to communicate with her loved ones. ‘In a way, my photographs proved to them that I was safe, building a life for myself in a new place,’ she shares with Wallpaper*. After all, isn’t this what travel is all about?

For Riverola, Días is a body of work that unfolded organically, without any formal planning: ‘It was incredibly liberating to create a book filled solely with significant images, capturing the work that resonates with me and reflects my life, all while emphasising light, colour and its own rhythm.’

Spanning 88 pages, the book, which boasts a debossed quarter-bound abstract hardcover, overflows with ethereal photographs that showcase the photographer’s unfussy yet poetic style. It’s through an unconventional use of motion, blur and dappled light that Riverola’s images evoke long-lost memories.

‘I hope everyone takes something different from it,’ Riverola notes. ‘I’d love for it to encourage people to pause and truly observe, to slow down, be mindful of their surroundings, care for nature and respect other cultures. It’s about connecting with people and traditions – not just seeing them as a backdrop for social media, but appreciating the details of travel, the small gestures, and the everyday routines.’

Even though Riverola’s sprawling commercial portfolio includes work with Apple, Belmond and Loewe, it’s a project with a close friend’s jewellery brand that first comes to mind when we begin our conversation; it’s clear to me that everything she does is a labour of love. ‘It might have been a campaign shoot, but it felt more meaningful for me as I was portraying my friends and love; an emotion.’ Riverola seeks meaning in everything she does, which is why no project she creates does not wear her heart on her sleeve. As such, she took the time to tell us about some of her favourite pictures in the book and the backstory behind them.

An underwater hug in Tepoztlán, Mexico

‘Right after the pandemic, when we were all still dealing with the effects of isolation, my good friend Aaron asked me to photograph a campaign for his jewellery brand Varon. It turned out to be one of my all-time favourite shoots. We gathered with a group of friends in Santa Caterina, near the magical town of Tepoztlán, surrounded by sacred mountains and the warmth of the sun. We danced until the early hours of the morning.’

The magic of sunrise in Copacabana, Brazil

‘We were shooting at dawn in Copacabana Beach when a pink hue filled the sky, countouring the bodies of early risers. First, it was quiet; then busy and hot; then a tropical storm.’

Morning market in Luang Prabang, Laos

‘I remember tasting local foods for the first time, seeing sunlight streaming through the cooking smoke, wandering through the narrow alleyways of the market and getting lost in the atmosphere. Then, riding a bike back home, shop done, feeling the refreshing breeze against my face.’

Summer siesta in Bellosguardo, Italy

‘A sultry August afternoon: it was too hot to do anything but nap and wait until the sun set in. Humid linen bedsheets stuck to our skin.’

An ephemeral blossoming in Manoa, Hawaii

‘My friend Ren took me to Lyon Arboretum in Manoa, her hometown, where her family still lives, and showed me a flower that only blooms once a year, for just a few hours, eventually falling and decomposing into the earth. I felt incredibly lucky to witness it. The flower was almost a meter tall and its colours and shape seemed out of this world; its pistil was thick and had an incredible granular texture.’

Días by Pia Riverola, Loose Joints, £40, loosejoints.biz