American photographer Spencer Tunick has created a rainbow flag in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with nearly 500 naked people, as part of the Culture & Business Pride 2026.
Santa Ana Square, in the historic district of Vegueta, was covered this Sunday morning by a tide of bodies painted in eleven colours. Around 500 volunteers participated in the installation 'Gran Spectrum', the first intervention by American photographer Spencer Tunick in the Canary Islands, transforming the iconic space into a symbol of diversity and LGTBIQA+ advocacy.
From the rooftop of the Town Hall, Tunick directed the composition while the participants, arranged by colour gradients, occupied the pavement to complete a massive human rainbow flag. The photograph took advantage of the dawn light to capture one of the most unique images the city has hosted in recent years.
The intervention is part of the programming for Culture & Business Pride 2026, which is currently taking place in the Gran Canaria capital. Volunteers began gathering early in the morning on the streets near the square. After receiving a pot of body paint, each applied their assigned colour before entering the space where the artist reorganised the rows to achieve the final composition.
With this installation, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria joins the select group of cities chosen by Spencer Tunick to develop his artistic interventions, alongside locations such as New York, Barcelona, London, Vienna, Sydney, or Mexico City, where the photographer has gathered over 18,000 people.
After the main session, the team moved to a second location around the Casa de Colón, which was carried out without media access.
Although he studied various scenarios in Gran Canaria in the months leading up to the event, the American photographer ultimately decided to situate the work in Vegueta and forgo one of the island's most iconic locations, such as the dunes of Maspalomas. The choice reflects a search for an urban environment with heritage value that contrasts with the nakedness of the bodies.
The work 'Gran Spectrum' not only leaves a striking image for the city but also reinforces the message of inclusion and freedom promoted by Pride. Attendees, many of whom were tourists and residents, watched the intervention from the surrounding areas while the artist finalised the details of the composition from above.
For the residents of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the intervention represents a cultural milestone that places the capital on the map of international contemporary art. Tunick, known for his large-scale collective nudes, has achieved a work on the island that combines social advocacy and visual aesthetics.
The day passed without incidents and with high citizen participation, responding to the artist's call to be part of this unique experience. The images captured will soon be shared by Tunick himself and will become part of his artistic archive.
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