The artist collective Asco’s impact in the Chicano Los Angeles scene was first felt in 1972 and carried over into the late ‘80s. The core members bonded over political and societal barriers and became activists through art and fashion.
The group developed a No Movie series, where photographs were staged to bring attention to the lack of Latino representation in cinema and theatrical pop-ups were performed in the streets regularly. During their first year together, the members spraypainted their names on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to claim the museum. LACMA later hosted a retrospective of Asco’s work to show there was no grudge held between the organizations in 2011.
The new documentary titled Asco: Without Permission illustrates how the collective’s work and accomplishments continue to inspire young artists to follow in their footsteps. The film debuted at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas on March 10 at the Hyatt Regency with later screenings happening at the Alamo Lamar. Several of the cast and creatives walked the red carpet before the premiere to discuss the project.
Director Travis Gutierrez Senger spoke to Windy City Times about the queer representation found in the film, noting that, “Because Asco was a very diverse group, some of the members were queer. Some of them performed as trans femme or trans masc with a lot of gender play, so they were doing the work that many would recognize today within the LGBTQ community. Their performances moved past the dualistic stereotypes of man/woman and started to bend gender and open up possibilities on how the queer Latin community can be seen. This was fundamental to Asco to have an aspects of queerness, glamor and seduction in all of their work.”
The Spanish word “asco” refers to something being gross, nauseating or disgusting, so it appealed to the radical band of artists. The core members of the group were Harry Gamboa Jr., Glucio “Gronk” Nicandro, Willie F. Herron III and Patssi Valdez. Gronk was not in attendance at the festival, but stood out with his queer perspective in the footage and was best known for his murals.
Musician San Cha [she/they] said, “I am the new generation represented in the film and part of the legacy to embody the Chicano experience.” They described their clothing style as a reflection of “the queer club scene and drag.” The talented, Los Angeles-based singer debuts her opera titled Inebria Me at Performance Space New York this May.
Executive producer Gael Garcia Bernal described Asco as “part of the movement for the emancipation of Chicano culture in the early ‘70s. I didn’t know much about it until I was called on to be a part of this project. Learning about it was amazing and I hope people go see it for more insight on why it was so important for Latin culture.”
While this movement was a response to the Vietnam War, its relevance continues in the current political climate and state of the world. The spirit of Asco lives on in 2025, encouraging encourage artists to push boundaries in the future.
Visit asanisimasafilms.com for more on Asco: Without Permission.