INFORMATION
Aldo 'Valgorth' Requena is an artist from Argentina whose work delves into themes of cosmic dread, surrealism, death, and the human condition. His art combines traditional and digital techniques, resulting in haunting contemporary images that deconstruct reality.
Valgorth began his career in 2003 and has since worked in painting, illustration, photography, digital media, and writing. His work has been published worldwide in mediums such as albums, books, events, posters, advertising, and film. Notable works include the artwork and texts for the Necronomicon book used in the Argentine movie “Necronomicon” (2017) and the series of paintings titled “Limbo Reflections from The Void,” presented at the Vortex Exhibition in Portugal (2021). Requena has also composed a large body of work that takes Lovecraft’s cosmic darkness and nihilism to great lengths, portraying a sinister and hostile view towards humanity.
In addition to creating personal art, Valgorth also works in the music, publishing, and entertainment industries through Hammerblaze, his creative firm established in 2008.
Aldo Requena is currently collaborating with Swedish musician Lars Broddesson, formerly of Marduk and now with Hild and Funeral Mist, on a new project called ‘Visions of a Dark Heritage.’ This project involves creating a series of paintings and writings that correspond to the songs and Valkyries on Hild’s debut album, ValFreiya.
STATEMENTS
“My art is a disruption of the natural order and a degradation of the human flesh and mind.”
“I believe that a creative mind must stand outside the system and strongly reject all norms from the status-quo. That's the core of my work. Creativity Against The Norms.”
A.R. Valgorth points out that ― “An artist that claims to produce Dark Art must always have a sense of spiritual rebellion against the norms of society, and nothing but willpower and ambition as the highest priorities in their art and concept, as well as in their personal lives.
He specifies, ― “The purpose of ‘norms’ are to provide a stable and predictable social world, to regulate our behavior with the established order. But stability and predictability are enemies of the creative process. The essence of art is disobedience. The only system to transcend the limits of one’s self is by maximum personal effort and eradicating the regulations that oppress our will. Most of us struggle with personal crisis, but we must find personal strength in critical times. Thus, accepting that genuine creativity originates through chaos, I rise from my ruins to create and destroy alike. My solitude and isolation are catalysts for deep reflection and self-awareness. I devoted myself to study the movements of the dark.”
“Creativity Against The Norms” is my artistic war cry in opposition to the status-quo. It’s a representation of the creative force within and the fight of Art to prevail against the doctrines and moral codes of society (The Norm). The darkness in my work will not relate to everybody, but it will certainly communicate an emotional impact and interest in those who seek to escape from the cryptic frontiers of reality.”
EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
2018 - Oct 5
Instituto de las Culturas Brown, Buenos Aires
2017 - Dec 6
The Roxy Live, Niceto Vega 5542, Buenos Aires