Patssi Valdez

Valdez was born in 1951 and grew up in East Los Angeles. As an artist growing up in East Los Angeles, Valdez was the only Chicana in the conceptual performance group Asco (Spanish for nausea). Valdez is a multitalented artist in several media, including performance and conceptual art, installations, murals, fashion design, collage, photography, easel painting, and set design.

Her work is characterized by vibrant, saturated colors in topsy-turvy, magical rooms where heavy theatrical curtains frame a wild and energetic scene. Nothing is stable: carpet patterns swirl like whirlpools, wine glasses topple, chairs tip, rock, and float. Overall, the effect is dizzying, yet, despite the uneasy perspective, a balance exists between fantasy and reality.

As a founding member of the Asco artist collective Valdez was very involved with street performance art that reflected shared "political and social concerns." Many of her performances with Asco took place in areas where there had recently been gang conflict or fatal shootings of individuals by the police.