Spraypaint LACMA, 1972

On a spring night in 1972, a group of young artists from East Los Angeles spray-painted their names on the front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Forty years later, they are the subject of a retrospective at that same museum.  Founding member Patssi Valdez is shown.

Calling themselves Asco (the Spanish word for “nausea” or “disgust”), the group spoke out about issues affecting Mexican-Americans living in East LA— including poor access to education, police brutality, the Vietnam War —  through visual art and provocative public performances (like this one from the mid-1970s).

Most of Asco's conceptual art was performed in the streets rather than in (or on) a museum. In this photo of a public performance in the mid-70s, each member of Asco is represented: Harry Gamboa (front left, holding a camera), Gronk (seated, wearing a mask), Patssi Valdez (sitting across from Gronk, her back to the camera), and Willie Herrón III (bottom right).

Asco's performances became an artistic component of the volatile political landscape of East LA. Here Gamboa can be seen through the crowds on the left, while Herrón supports the float at the front right.

Asco, Instant Mural, 1974
Photograph, 16 x 20 in.

Asco and Harry Gamboa Jr., La Opinion Announcement Flyer, 1980
Black and White Xerox collage with stickers and stamp, 11 x 8 1/2 in.

Asco, Scissors (Patssi Valdez cover image for Regeracion), 1974
Collage on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 in.

Harry Gamboa Jr., X's Party (fotonovela), 1983
35 mm slides and audio cassette (transferred to digital format)

One of the founding members of Asco, Glugio "Gronk" Nicandro went on to become a successful painter and photographer whose work has been featured at international venues, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Last spring he created a mural at UCLA's Fowler Museum.

Founding member Willie Herrón suggested the name Asco after deciding that the group's first exhibition should showcase the artists' worst work. He was known for his street murals, and would often collaborate with Gronk.

Founding member Harry Gamboa came to the United States as a monolingual Spanish speaker. Even after becoming bilingual, his struggle with the English language continued to influence his artwork. During the 1970s, he became the editor of Regeneración, a publication featuring articles, essays, and poetry centered on Chicano issues.