The València Gay Games XII 2026 have kicked off in the city with a cultural activity that transcends the purely sporting realm. This international event's program includes a rich cultural and social agenda that begins a week before the opening ceremony.
The Museum of the City is hosting the exhibition "Valencia Queer. Contemporary Artistic Identities" until June 30th. In it, eight Valencian artists from various disciplines present works that advocate for the transformation of pain into beauty by the LGTBIQA+ collective.
The exhibition, located on the museum's "noble floor" historically reserved for established painters, becomes a meeting point for "different ways of living and seeing the world," as highlighted by the presentation's officials: Culture Councilor José Luis Moreno; Sports Councilor Rocío Gil; museum director Marta López Ricarte; and exhibition curator Óscar Segrelles.
The placement of "Valencia Queer" in the Museum of the City represents a conquest of spaces, as the exhibition is installed in a location traditionally dedicated to heteronormative displays. Museum director Marta López Ricarte noted that "the community's place is no longer the closet, but the museum halls," celebrating a triumph of integration and visibility.
Access to the exhibition is free and open to all audiences, provided they have accreditation issued by the games' organization.
The works by Miquel Navarro, Antonio Ovejero, Carlos Corredera, Eva Máñez, Anna Maria Staianno, Antonio Portillo, Martin Kámon, and la Nena Wapa create a curious disruption between Valencian stately architecture and contemporary creations.
