The Biography

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harry Gamboa Jr. (born 1951) is an essayist, photographer, director, and performance artist internationally recognized for the combination of activism and social critique that informs his work. An organizer of the East LA Walkouts of 1968 and founder of the avant-garde art collective ASCO (active 1972–1987), Gamboa considers the city streets to be his studio. Unlike most Angelenos however, Gamboa prefers to walk or use public transit to get around, and he always has a camera in hand.