The New York artist created a human sculpture this Sunday with around 500 naked volunteers painted in rainbow colours in front of the Cathedral of Santa Ana, in Vegueta.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria awoke this Sunday to an unusual sight: half a thousand naked people, dyed in eleven colours, forming a rainbow flag in front of the Cathedral of Santa Ana. The New York artist Spencer Tunick, known for his large-scale installations with naked bodies, chose the historic district of Vegueta for his new work, titled 'Gran Spectrum', with which he pays tribute to the diversity of the LGTBIQ+ community.
From 5:00 AM (local time), volunteers began to gather in the vicinity of the Plaza de Santa Ana. With the help of a megaphone, Tunick directed the operation from the rooftop of the Town Hall. Participants covered themselves in cream paint from head to toe in colours such as black, brown, turquoise, pink, white, red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet, forming monochromatic groups.
At 7:47, the members of the installation began to arrive at the square with their arms glued to their bodies, positioning themselves in rows separated by the distance of their outstretched arms. Once the rainbow flag was formed, Tunick asked them to look towards him, turning their backs to the cathedral, to start the photo session. The artist explained that his aim was to show that "wherever bodies are accepted, naked, in unison, and not separated, it is a step forward towards the future."
The collective euphoria took over the square amidst cheers and applause. Participants took selfies with each other, enjoying an experience that many described as a "dream come true." Tunick, exhausted at the end, highlighted the warm reception and festive atmosphere. "I feel very fortunate that all the participants seemed to have enjoyed themselves," he told reporters.
The artistic action was not without moments of tension. Access to the Cathedral of Santa Ana was blocked with barriers to facilitate the photographer's work, coinciding with the celebration of a mass. The dean and the bishop of the Canary Islands, José Mazuelos, requested that the organisation and local police create a passage for parishioners to access the temple. Ultimately, an agreement was reached, and the Eucharist was able to take place without further issues.
After the first public session, Tunick continued his work in the Plaza del Pilar Nuevo and on the steps of the Casa de Colón, this time without the presence of the press. Once the private photographs were completed, the volunteers began to disperse, now dressed, leaving behind a multicoloured scene that will go down in the city's history.
Among the participants, Alejandro Medina recounted that he signed up encouraged by a friend and that he would repeat the experience, highlighting the idea of "bringing together different social groups." Ana Losada, who attended after learning about Tunick's work in Barcelona, confessed to having overcome her "shyness" and "embarrassment" to speak, through their painted bodies, about the LGTBIQ+ reality, "which is increasingly out of vogue and going backwards." Octavio Macías, almost unable to speak from emotion, expressed his joy at having been a part of 'Gran Spectrum' to advocate for "inclusion in art, inclusion in equality, and inclusion in the mere freedom of being in public and among your neighbours."
Tunick's work in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria adds to other interventions by the artist in iconic spaces around the world, always using nudity as a vehicle for expression and advocacy. On this occasion, the rainbow flag, a universal symbol of the LGTBIQ+ community, served as a canvas for a human sculpture that, according to the artist, seeks support for the community in the future.
The day left images that will travel the world and will undoubtedly place the capital of Gran Canaria on the map of contemporary art. The locals and tourists who approached Vegueta witnessed a performance that combined art, advocacy, and citizen participation.
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