Vargas, Rafael

b. 1959, Barcelona

   Photographer

   Rafael Vargas" works are often conceived as works of art in their own right, following to some extent the direction taken by Joan Fontcuberta. Vargas generally uses colour and creates a theatrical setting for his models, in which the elements of the decor help to define their characters, their "story". He is also a very experienced architectural photographer, particularly attracted to townscapes. Enlargements on a huge scale of three of his photographs depicting the city by night were used by the architect Alfredo Arribas in his work "Gran Velvet". These images, 12 metres in length, are remarkable for their abstract, schematic elegance and represent a novel use of photography.

   MIHAIL MOLDOVEANU