Adrián Arguedas Ruano - Valle Oscuro / Dark Valley

Adrián Arguedas Ruano is considered one of the greatest exponents of engraving and woodcut in Latin America. Every August, his native town of Barva de Heredia, Costa Rica celebrates a festival dedicated to San Bartholomé with masquerade parades. His experiences in art began with his immersion in this tradition at the side of his great uncle who was a legendary maker of the massive papier-mache folk masks associated with the event. Over the years, Arguedas has hand-crafted his own interpretations of these vibrant oversized heads of giants, witches, skeletons, and clowns, but he is most recognized for his unparalleled work in commemorating the ritual through his raw, multi-colored woodcuts. The crowded images in these prints contain the visceral, chaotic theatricality of James Ensor, as well as the hauntingly distorted figures in German Expressionism. From November 2023 – April 2024, Arguedas' graphic work, along with his paintings and sculpture were the subject of a major solo exhibition titled, _Valle Oscuro_ at the Museo de Arte Costarricense in San José, Costa Rica. He has been a professor of art at the Universidad Nacional since 1990, mentoring many emerging and now noteworthy artists of Costa Rica, and is respected for his strong positions on civil rights, particularly with regard to neighboring Nicaragua.