Spencer Tunick to Lead Mass Art Performance for LGTBIQA+ Rights in Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria has been chosen as the site for Spencer Tunick’s next major art project, a move that aligns the island’s tourism brand with the global fight for civil rights. Organizers of Culture & Business Pride 2026 announced that the New York-based photographer will lead a mass performance titled Gran Spectrum on July 26. The project uses the human body as a tool for advocacy at a time when LGTBIQA+ rights are facing increasing political polarization worldwide.

Supported by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and Canary Islands Tourism, the event will take place between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Maspalomas. Hundreds of volunteers are expected to gather to create a visual display inspired by the colors of diversity. For Tunick—who has previously organized massive shoots in cities like Mexico City, Barcelona, and Sydney—this work is about more than just art. He believes that public nudity challenges policymakers to be more empathetic, especially as legislative setbacks continue to impact minority groups.

The project highlights the island’s history as a place of coexistence, a quality Tunick compares to the social openness of New York. Registration for participants is now open at arnculturepride.org/spencertunick. Through this collaboration, Culture & Business Pride aims to establish the Canary Islands as a leader in the human rights movement, using Tunick’s unique ability to turn public spaces into platforms for social change. It remains to be seen how the island's unique culture will shape the final result, as the artist’s work often reflects the distinct social fabric of the cities he visits.