Diane Gamboa

In the early ‘80s, she photographically documented the East Los Angeles punk rock scene.[8] From 1980 to 1987, she was a member of ASCO, a conceptual multi-media performance art group.[9] Gamboa appeared in performances and also created costumes and makeup concepts that "shaped the group's look."[2]

Gamboa organized numerous site-specific "Hit and Run" paper fashion shows which were "created as easily disposable street wear."[9] Her fascination with paper fashion can be traced to an ASCO fashion show organized by in 1982 by member Gronk, where he insisted all entries must be made of paper.[10] Her paper fashion shows disrupted the activities of people on the street, blurring the lines between art and everyday life.[11] Gamboa's creation of paper fashion is both the realization of childhood dreams of glamor and a commentary on the disposable nature of high fashion.[10]

The "easily disposable streetwear" became quite popular and some designs were collected by museums.[9] Gamboa created more than 75 different fashions, ranging from dresses, purses and cross-gender outfits.[10] Her paper fashions make "clear that creativity is restricted only by the tools and the labor that are economically within reach...they exhibit longing for more fulfilling and creative social intercourse."[10] However, while there is a desire to play out the glamorous nature of fashion, Gamboa's work also comments on the gendered nature of the fashion industry and the erotic norms of clothing.[10]

During the ‘90s, Gamboa's work had a very strong sense of place, including fictional places which were "anti-sexist, anti-racist and anti-hetero-normative."[5] In Pin Up, Gamboa explores male-female relationships through a series of ink drawings on vellum.[12] She explores the intersection of gender in the body and the relationships between the body and the inanimate.[10] Many of the figures depicted in this series are tattooed, which reflects an interest Gamboa has in learning to tattoo others herself.[9]

The Endangered Species series builds on the work started with the Pin Up drawings, turning the ink drawings into in a three-dimensional form.[9]

The Bruja-Ha series was created around 2004. The art included in "Bruja-Ha" represents some of the very spiritual and performance-related aspects of Gamboa's work. Dirt from her father's grave was mixed into the paint, making it a very personal statement.[4] Gamboa relates that her father had been ill during the time she had been working on "Bruja-Ha."[4]

The Invasion of the Snatch (2007) is a series of 9 paintings that explore the feminine body and is Gamboa's "tribute" to unidentified female victims of rape and murder.[13]

Gamboa's series, Alien Invasion: Queendom Come (2006-2012) is an exploration of Mexican identity in American culture. She explores the idea of "why only Mexicans are called aliens while others are called immigrants," creating drawings and paintings of blue-skinned, "Amazonian aliens."[14] Alien Invasion invites viewers to rethink their ideas about immigrants, especially those of Latino origin.