"Valencia Queer" Exhibition Opens at the City Museum Ahead of Gay Games 2026

Today at the City Museum of Valencia (Museu de la Ciutat), the exhibition Valencia Queer: Identidades Artísticas Contemporáneas opens — one of the first cultural projects as part of the preparations for Gay Games 2026, which will be held in Valencia. At the press conference before the opening, which La Cotorra attended, the organisers spoke not only about art but also about the personal experiences that formed the basis of the exhibition.

The exhibition brings together the works of eight artists linked to Valencia. The display features painting, photography, sculpture, and installations. Its curators explained that in many ways the project was born from memories of a time when society was far less open to diversity, and many members of the LGBTQ+ community faced rejection, isolation, and the need to hide their identity. Through their works, the authors tell not only of the present day but also of the path that a whole generation had to travel.

The opening of the exhibition coincides with the start of the Gay Games 2026 cultural programme. Despite the name, the Gay Games position themselves as inclusive games for everyone, and not only for the LGBTQ+ community. People of any age and level of fitness can take part — from professional athletes to those who have never seriously done sport. Among the participants there are traditionally many older people, amateurs, and those for whom the atmosphere of community and mutual support matters more than sporting results.

This year, Valencia has made history as the first city in Spain to host the World Gay Games. The Games will take place from 27 June to 5 July. In addition to the sporting competitions, in the coming weeks the city will host dozens of cultural events — from concerts and film screenings to theatrical productions and art exhibitions.

At the meeting with journalists, the organisers stressed that the current opportunity to speak openly about queer identity and to present such projects in municipal museums seemed impossible to many just a few decades ago. For this reason, the exhibition is for them not only an artistic event but also a reminder of the changes that have taken place in Spanish society.

Valencia Queer can be visited until 30 August.