Art Between Viscera and Vomit: The Poetics of Disgust in Raphael Montáñez Ortiz and Asco's Patssi Valdez

A review of the poetics of disgust in the works of Puerto Rican artist Raphael Montáñez Ortiz and Chicana artist Patssi Valdez from the conceptual art group Asco (1972−1987), both of which are situated in the public sphere and not the gallery. This article demonstrates how Ortiz's and Valdez's art is not about identity, the personal, or an oppositional politics, but instead proceeds from conceptual conceits about the political use of violence within public space, media culture, and print discourse.