Dumbbell

In 1982, Sister Karen Boccalero invited Gronk to inaugurate the Experimental Atelier Program with a special project series of thirteen prints. He returned in 1992 to create "Dumbbell". For this print, he layered colored ink to the point of indecipherability. Only looking carefully can the viewer make out skulls, leaves, and lips through the graffiti-like chaos. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Gronk consistently defies the idea of what it means to be a Chicano artist. In 1974, he formed the avant-garde group Asco—Spanish for “disgust”—with Patssi Valdez, William Herrón III, and Harry Gamboa, Jr. That same year, the group performed at Self Help’s annual Day of the Dead procession, wearing atypical costumes that expanded the traditional interpretation of the holiday.