ASCO

Spray Paint LACMA

Spray Paint LACMA (1972) is a combination of graffiti, civil disobedience, and photography. The piece came together when a curator at LACMA had a conversation with Harry Gamboa Jr, a member of ASCO. In this conversation, the curator made negative remarks about Chicanos and their inability to produce art, claiming they only ran in gangs. After discussing this, the group returned and spray-painted their names on the outside of the building in an act of civil disobedience, claiming it as their first piece of art.

Stations of The Cross

Asco's Stations of The Cross (1971) was a "walking ritual of resistance" to protest the Vietnam War's perceived needless deaths. Harry Gamboa Jr, Gronk, and Willie Herron III carried a large cardboard cross through Los Angeles, ending the movement by symbolically blocking a U.S. Marine recruiting office from their Mexican-American neighborhood.

First Supper (After a Major Riot)

First Supper (After a Major Riot) (1974) was a performance piece set up in the middle of a street in Los Angeles, where previously violent rioting and antiwar protests occurred. Gamboa noted it was long enough since the protests, and the piece was a celebration. The group had ten cents with them in case they were arrested.

Decoy Gang War Victim

Decoy Gang War Victim (1974) was a live performance where Gronk posed as a deceased victim. The piece aimed to draw attention to neighborhood violence and critique sensationalized news coverage of East L.A., believed to be contributing to more violence.

Instant Mural

Instant Mural (1974) was a response to East L.A.'s murals. Patssi Valdez said the piece reflected her sense of limitation as a woman in her community but also her ability to "break free" from those restrictions, symbolized by the tape used.