In the 1970s and '80s, traces of the artist collective Asco, Named after the spanish word for “disgust,” could be seen all over east la ron-teenage creatives pulled all kinds of high jinks in the name of art: they taped each other to a wall and called it an “dinéed Whittier boulevard in a performance Called “First supper after a major riotAnd wore a life -size cross in their own “Stations de la Croix” in the street in the street.
With their guerrilla warfare approach to the art of performance, the founders of Asco Harry Gamboa Jr., Glugio “Gronk” Nicandro, Willie Herrón and Patssi Valdez built a heritage concerning the enlargement of the possibilities for chicanos in the art world.
After the group was dissolved in 1987, their work was not recognized by any major artistic institution before 2011. The Museum of Art of the County of Los Angeles opened a retrospective exhibition dedicated to the group called “Asco: elite of the dark”, – Almost 40 years after the group vandalized the property in its series “Spray Paint Lacma”, where it confronted the exclusion by the Chicano art museum.
In the new documentary entitled “Asco: without permission”, which was presented in first on March 10 in Southwest, the filmmaker Travis Guérrez Senger undertook to tell their story. “We want to celebrate Asco, but also to pass what Asco has done on the next generation and continue their inheritance,” he told Los.
Through Lake Lady Bird of Austin, Asco fans and documentaries lovers gathered in the hotel theater from the hotel. Under the executive production of Mexican filmmakers Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, Guérrez Senger has devoted the last five years to this film, from its concept to its completion. Last Tuesday evening, he was joined by García Bernal, the original members of Asco Gamboa and Valdez and other collaborators on the film to celebrate his first screening.
The film tells the beginnings of Asco, gives a history of his most famous works and highlights his influence on the world of contemporary chicano art. The narrative format is a mixture of archive sequences, artistic reconstructions and camera interviews with ASCO members.
In the morning after his first SXSW, Guérrez Senger sat with Los to discuss all things “Asco: without permission”.
This interview was condensed and published for more clarity.
Do you remember the first time you have met Asco's work? What hit you about it?
In fact, I remember seeing an image of the “victim of the lure gang war”, where Gronk is lying on cement with these red rockets around him. But what I caught was the name Asco. It made me so curious that I started looking for more images online.
It was then that I found the “no movies” (a series of film photos for nonexistent films). As a filmmaker, seeing these fixed images of chicanos reinventing Hollywood, I was so struggled and excited. I had never seen anything like this. The idea that young people do this innovative work, with such a strong story, started hitting me very quickly.
The group “No movies” is so inventive, there is a specific buildings Who is talking to you? Or those who influence your understanding of the film?
“The Gores” is the one who really touched a sensitive string with me. It's their version of a Chicano science fiction film. It's so sparkling and so fun. You can see that they made the costumes themselves with a ton of resources, but with a huge amount of ingenuity. And they all seem to have fun.
The “no movies” continues to awaken something in me. They allow me to have more confidence, self -love and inspiration. Something about Asco's work activates your imagination, creativity and ambition. This is one of the things I love so much about it. It makes you want to create work. It's a great gift. Even now, I'm going to watch Asco Stuff and think: “Ok, I have a new idea. I have something.”
Caught in 1974, “The Gores” presents the founding members of Asco dressed in Maison science fiction costumes.
(Gracious of Asa a few films)
When you first familiarized yourself with the heritage of Asco, what was happening in your life as a filmmaker?
It was really when I started looking for brighter references. I was trying to find Latin stories and subjects. I was already very interested in Gael (García Bernal) and Diego (Luna). They were heroes of my young people. I love their films and what they were doing in Mexico. I really identified myself deeply with them.
But when I found Asco, it was like the next big point of influence because they were Chicano. Seeing these brown creatives do this really daring and radical work, but also being chicano, resonated with me even more deeply. So, gathering all these influences in the film was really remarkable for me personally, because they had the most important touch stones for me as Latino.
A short film featuring Maria Maea follows a group of teenagers who meet an extraterrestrial in their garage.
(Gracious of Asa a few films)
In the documentary, you present artists like Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, San Cha and Maria Maea, who created work for the 2023 exhibition “Asco and the Next Gen” and collaborated with you on short films that appear in the film. What made you want to include contemporary voices in the project?
We had the impression that it would be almost irresponsible to say: “Here is a film on Asco and here is a call for action.” We had the impression that we had to answer this call ourselves, even if it was an experience. The results were really powerful.
If we were going to talk about the exclusions with which Asco was confronted and we will approach it today – it could not be simply in conversation. Asco really consists in acting. We needed something to be a little disruptive or even alarming, to show who we are and answer the question: “What kind of stories do we really want to see today?” We have taken a lot of influence from Asco's work, but (the short films included are) are certainly stories of the 21st century. They are not supposed to be ASCO reconstructions.
There is a multigenerational aspect that passes through the film. You include young Latin actors to reconstruct the life of Asco, the artists of the staging of Spotlight and the perspective of the contemporaries of Asco. Why was it important for the story of Asco?
Coming as a millennium, and thinking of young people that I am there, I had the impression that Asco's work told us because many problems they were struggling with with police brutality, a representation in the media or queerness – are always in our minds. As young Latinos, we are hungry to create work where we see each other. Being able to have an intergenerational experience that we learn and that we bring in the future is one of the main objectives of the film.
“Asco goes to the universe” is an image of 1975 and the members of Spotlights Patssi Valdez, Willie Herron, Gronk, Humberto Sandoval and Harry Gamboa Jr.
(Gracious of Asa a few films)
As a person so inspired by the work of your subjects, what were some of your dishes to take away from this film?
When I spoke with Asco for the first time, they talked a lot about the whole of Asco's business and want to move how the chicanos are seen. It was always something what I thought a lot, and I also wanted it to be a goal of the film. But while I continued to work there, I found that at the heart of Asco's work was self -love. It's really about recognizing your own potential and talent.
I got out of the process by feeling very proud to be chicano and very inspired to share our stories. For me, there was a change in making the film because I started to think that we are going to do these institutions. And I always want to do that, and I always think about it. But I also feel more a feeling of dignity, pride and a link with my community.
