Spain
Born in Bolivia, in the city of Reyes, in 1956. Her artistic training comes from various disciplines, ranging from painting to installations and video art. She is part of the painting group known as the "new savages," which emerged in Barcelona in the 1980s thanks to Toni Estrany, and included artists such as Miquel Barceló, Isabel Esteve, and Pep Agut, among others. She began working in video in the 1980s, introducing painterly elements through mimicry (Geografía, 1986, and Spatial Water Lilys, 1992). Her works have shaped a unique universe of fragments of reality and fantasy, more clearly expressed in her installations (The Will of the Instant, 1992, and Unicorns, 1993). She has collaborated with Barcelona TV and the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona) on contrasting programs, such as Irruption Elsewhere, a series of performances and roundtables. Xabela Vargas was one of the founding members of the now-defunct Associació de Vídeo Independent La 12 Visual, created in Barcelona in June 1993.
Most notable video works. Geografía (1986), The Door of Innocence (1993), Spatial Water Lilys (1992), Lolita (1992), BCN DJs (1996), Irrupción en otra parte (1998). Video installations: Doll, 1988 Lletania, 1989 Self-Service, 1992 La Voluntad del Instante, 1992 Unicornios, 1993 El Camino, 1999 BCN DJs, 1996.
