Bárbara Cuevas Víquez
Interdisciplinary Designer, Researcher and Creative Mentor
Languages: Spanish — Native · English — C1 Level
Costa Rican interdisciplinary designer and researcher whose practice explores clothing, textiles, visual culture, archives, memory, territory and sustainability. Through visual research, material reuse, textile experimentation, graphic design and collaborative processes, she approaches clothing as a language, a cultural document and a medium for memory.
Her experience includes exhibitions, fashion collections, theatrical productions, arts education and community-based projects in Costa Rica, Spain and the United States. She combines creative practice with experience in art direction, editorial and digital design, production coordination and interdisciplinary project management.
She is currently developing PACACA with philologist Luis Carlos Rivera, a postgraduate research project at the University of Costa Rica investigating clothing, archives and territorial narratives.
Education
2021 — Licenciatura in Art and Visual Communication, with an Emphasis in Textile Design
Universidad Nacional (UNA), Heredia, Costa Rica.
2018 — Technical Coursework in Graphic Design
Fundación Tecnológica de Costa Rica (FUNDATEC), San José, Costa Rica.
2025–2027 — Postgraduate Studies, in progress
School of Collective Communication, University of Costa Rica.
Areas of Practice and Research
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Clothing, costume and material culture
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Textile design and mixed-media experimentation
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Archives, family memory and intergenerational narratives
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Fashion, media, visual culture and identity
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Upcycling, secondhand clothing and sustainability
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Territory, urban memory and place-based narratives
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Visual research, editorial design and graphic production
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Arts education, workshop facilitation and public engagement
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Collaborative and interdisciplinary creative processes
Professional Experience
May 2021–March 2026 — Accenture
Media & Graphics Design Analyst / Senior Analyst
Costa Rica.
Visual and editorial design, research, art direction, design systems, digital production and interdisciplinary coordination. Contributed to projects involving Microsoft, UN Global Compact, The Dock, Global Shapers and T-Mobile.
March–September 2019 — Studio Saxe 🖥️
In-house Graphic Designer and Communications Coordinator, Costa Rica.
Graphic design, communications coordination, media relations and support for creative workflows and studio operations.
December 2018–February 2019 — Interprom
Graphic Designer and Community Manager
Graphic design, content production and digital communications for brands and franchises.
September–November 2018 — KidZania 🖥️
Designer, Theming Department
Costa Rica.
Adapted establishment designs to the visual identities of more than 25 companies, including Copa Airlines, P.F. Chang’s and Walmart.
February 2017–April 2018 — Cowork
Assistant Manager and Graphic Designer
Costa Rica.
Visual identity design, client services, operational coordination and management support for a coworking space.
August–November 2016 — INAMU and European Union Project
Creative Direction and Design Coordination
Costa Rica.
Directed a team of 30 designers developing visual identities for 90 women entrepreneurs in Guanacaste, Limón and Puntarenas. Coordinated production and developed a guide to social media and good practices for entrepreneurs.
February 2015–November 2018 — Obra Gris
Textile and Graphic Designer
Costa Rica.
Contributed to four fashion collections under the creative direction of Óscar Ruiz Schmidt. Collaborated on translating the visual work of artists Paz Ulloa, Pablo Hernández and Paula Díaz into wearable designs. Developed textile graphics, digital garment drawings and collection catalogues.
Selected presentations with Obra Gris:
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2017 — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Costa Rica
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2015 — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Guatemala
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2015 — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Costa Rica
February 2012–December 2016 — Friday Love
Founder and Designer
Independent design project exploring upcycled clothing and accessories. Developed garments, pouches and bags using recovered plastic and other reused materials, combining sustainable design with product development and entrepreneurship.
2015 — Festival Internacional de Diseño, Costa Rica
Presented Friday Love products in the festival’s pop-up store.
Exhibitions and Artistic Projects
2026 — Prefiero que me coman los perros
Graphic and Costume Design
Voraza Teatro. Centro Cultural de España, San José, Costa Rica.
Graphic and costume design for the theatrical production, in collaboration with Voraza Teatro.
2025 — Señoronas
Group Exhibition; Artistic Production and Organization
Edificio La Alhambra, San José, Costa Rica.
Contributed to the conceptual development, organization and production of a two-day exhibition and public program exploring grandmothers’ archives, family memory, and intergenerational narratives. Created works for the exhibition.
2024 — Noche 🖥️
Graphic Design, Photography and Scenographic Elements
Proyecto Teatro, School of Performing Arts, Universidad Nacional. Teatro 1887, Centro Nacional de la Cultura, San José, Costa Rica.
Contributed graphic design and photography alongside Eduardo Cuevas, and developed elements for the scenography in collaboration with Pamela Rodríguez Montero. Directed by Reinaldo Amién. Rodríguez Montero received the 2024 Ricardo Fernández Guardia National Theatre Award in the Design category for her work on the production.
2019 — Tenfold, Obra Gris 🖥️
Participation in Obra Gris’s Solo Exhibition
Sala 1.1, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC), San José, Costa Rica.
Curator: Daniel Soto Morúa.
November 22–December 14, 2019.
Contributed textile work to the exhibition, including a rug made with denim and foil, previously presented in Two Mundos. The work brought together material reuse and textile experimentation.
2017 — Two Mundos 🖥️
Group Exhibition of Costa Rican Design
ReGeneration Furniture, New York, United States.
May 22–June 15, 2017.
Curator: Gabriela Valenzuela-Hirsch.
Participated with textile works, including a macramé piece and a rug made with denim and foil, within a collective presentation of Costa Rican design.
2016 — Traffic Museum: Barrios 🖥️
Group Exhibition of Fashion, Art and Design
Museos del Banco Central, San José, Costa Rica.
Collaborated with Óscar Ruiz Schmidt of Obra Gris on a garment inspired by Barrio Aranjuez and its railway station. The project connected clothing design with urban memory, architecture and place-based visual research. Included in the exhibition catalogue.
2015 — Traffic Museum: El patrimonio nos viste
Group Exhibition of Fashion, Art and Design
Museos del Banco Central, San José, Costa Rica.
Collaborated with Óscar Ruiz Schmidt of Obra Gris on a garment reinterpreting a work by Costa Rican artist Dinora Volandi.
2014 — Art al Vent, XII Edition
International Group Exhibition of Textile Art
Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain.
Textile work selected for the international outdoor exhibition.
Academic Representation
2016 — UNIMODA
Represented Universidad Nacional and Costa Rica in a fashion design competition.
Universidad de Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Creative and Research Skills
Visual research · Documentation · Concept development · Art direction · Textile design · Clothing and costume design · Material reuse · Collection development · Editorial design · Graphic design · Production coordination · Arts education · Workshop facilitation · Project management
Digital Tools
Figma, Canva, Affinty, Notion, Perplexity, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Microsoft Office 360
Continuing Education
2026 — Emprendi-Seño
Trendo México. Instructor: Gustavo Prado.
2026 — Fashion Course
Trendo México. Instructor: Gustavo Prado.
2026 — Vanessa Rosales. Writing and creative process.
2026 — Vanessa Rosales. Critical thinking and narrative.
2025 — Vanessa Rosales. Critical thinking, creation and critical observation.
2025 — Vanessa Rosales. Fashion and media, from history to the present.
2020 — Everybody Map Your C0DE!
Giana González / Nobody’s Fashion Week.
Research, Teaching and Community
2025–2027 — PACACA
Postgraduate Research and Research-Creation Project
School of Collective Communication, University of Costa Rica.
Developed with Luis Carlos Rivera, philologist. Investigates clothing as an affective archive, cultural document and record of place, bringing together garments, images, narratives, memory and visual culture. Expected completion: 2027.
March 2026–Present — La Maleta de Barbie
Founder, Researcher and Facilitator
Costa Rica.
Creative education and mentoring platform exploring clothing, image, visual culture, personal style and identity. Develops workshops, content and learning resources that approach dressing as a creative, communicative and cultural practice.
2020 — Secondary School Visual Arts Teacher
Centro Educativo Niño Jesús de Belén, Costa Rica.
Taught Visual Arts to students from seventh through eleventh grade.
December 2020–April 2021 — The Pueblo, Two Mundos
Designer, Researcher and Project Manager
Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Contributed research, design and project management to a regenerative community initiative led by Gabriela Valenzuela.
2024 — Tamarindo International Surf Film Festival / Fundación CEPIA 🖥️
Graphic and Website Design
Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Created graphic design materials for the festival’s 2024 edition and designed its website. The festival raises funds in support of Fundación CEPIA’s community programs.
2021 — The Fixers: CEPIA Costa Rica 🖥️
Community-Based Television Project
BYUtv, Season 3, Episode 6. Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Participated in filming alongside CEPIA founder Laetitia. The episode documented the creation of a community space supporting women’s baking and craft enterprises in San José de la Pinilla.