Puerto Vallarta’s beauty is undeniable—but its art scene? That’s more complicated. Ask around, and you’ll hear the same story from both sides: local artists feel ignored, newer voices feel shut out, and long-established galleries say the audience just isn’t ready for change.
The truth? The art community here has been divided for too long. Territorial. Competitive. Resistant to change. The result? An undercurrent of frustration, where potential is stifled and no one really wins.
This year’s FUTURAMAR Art Auction and Exhibition—the closing event of Vallarta PRIDE 2025—seeks to break that cycle. Not with more promises, but with a unified act of collaboration. This is not just a show. It’s a shift.
Last Year Was the Spark. This Year Is the Fire.
The 2024 PRIDE art auction, Beyond the Sun, was far from perfect—but it was a breakthrough. Hosted on Pulpito Street in front of Nomada, it presented a powerful exhibition of Guadalajara-based Mexican artists and brought Vallarta’s art curious out to see what it was all about. The setting was beautiful, the energy was right, and it proved that there is an audience hungry for high-level, progressive art tied to purpose.
As with any inaugural event, logistics were challenging, and lots of improvising was required. But what mattered most was this: the bar was set.
Now, in its second year, the PRIDE Art Auction has a new name—FUTURAMAR—and a much bolder mission. This isn’t just a closing event for Pride. It’s a reset button for how Puerto Vallarta’s art scene shows up—for itself, and for the future.
The Art District Responds
This year, the response from Vallarta’s professional gallery community has been different. Purposeful. Strategic. Participating galleries—CÓRSICA, OMAR ALONSO, GALERÍA UNO, GALERIE DES ARTISTES, BROWNE, EMOTIONS, and PÁJARO ROJO—have aligned themselves with the event not out of obligation, but out of recognition that the status quo isn’t working. They’re not just lending wall space—they’re lending credibility, visibility, and weight to a conversation that matters.
When respected institutions like these decide to participate in something new, it sends a message: We see the fracture and are ready to help repair it. Their message is clear: we all do better when we work together.
A Future With No Gender—and No Barriers
The Future Has No Gender is the theme of PRIDE 2025. And FUTURAMAR takes that message seriously.
“This isn’t just about queer identity,”
says Héctor Belloc, the artist and cultural producer behind FUTURAMAR. (Pictured above on the left.)
“It’s about removing the binaries in art, too. Old vs. new. Local vs. foreign. Real vs. digital. These divisions are holding Vallarta back.”
Belloc, through his platform Tierra Física, has assembled a powerhouse team that’s building this event for the long haul:
Yamir Ali Yedet, one of the most respected curators in Mexico, handpicked over 50 artists for the FUTURAMAR collection. His name carries weight, and his taste pushes boundaries.
María Orozco, with a background in producing high-end art events in Guadalajara, has kept the project rooted in long-term cultural impact, not just spectacle.
Ron Valdez, a seasoned auction designer and consultant with experience in NYC and LA, helped professionalize the format. (Pictured above on the right.)
“We needed to make the event more accessible—digitally, logistically, and emotionally, we don’t want people to feel intimidated. We want them to feel invited.”
Alfredo Soria, PRIDE’s Operations Director and an artist himself, ensured that every element—from security to staging—matched the ambition of the vision. He’s not just executing this event; he’s part of the cultural movement it represents.
A City Divided Can’t Grow
This isn’t just about one night. It’s about something deeper. In Puerto Vallarta, long-simmering resentment has stalled the city’s cultural growth. Nationalist artists complain about being passed over. Younger artists are told to wait their turn. Foreign galleries are accused of dominating the scene. Everyone points fingers.
Look at the Cities That Got It Right
This kind of transformation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Other places have faced the same fractures—and figured it out.
In Berlin, post-reunification tension between East and West artists was broken by underground queer-led collectives that redefined the global art conversation.
In Mexico City, nationalist resentment and exclusion gave way to collaborative institutions like SOMA and Casa Maauad, which invited new talent to the table and shifted the global perception of contemporary Mexican art.
In Brooklyn, New York, gentrification nearly gutted the creative class—but artists rebuilt their power by creating co-owned galleries, pop-ups, and street-to-market bridges that included the communities they came from.
Puerto Vallarta can do this too. But only if everyone participates.
FUTURAMAR dares Vallarta to do the same.
This Is the Work of PRIDE
The theme of Vallarta PRIDE 2025 is “The Future Has No Gender.” That’s more than a slogan—it’s a mission. It asks: What does equity look like in art? How do we remove barriers? How do we create space for every voice, medium, and story? How do we welcome first-time collectors?
A gender-free future is a level playing field. And FUTURAMAR is the prototype.
If You’re in the Art World, This Is Your Call-To-Action
If you’re a gallery, show up.
If you’re an artist, submit work next year.
If you’re a collector, take a risk.
If you’re a critic, be constructive.
If you’ve ever said Vallarta has no culture, you’re looking in the wrong places.
This auction isn’t a fix-all. But it’s a reset—a refusal to keep repeating the same divisions. This is where old voices and new talent meet, where queer art, Mexican identity, and radical collaboration collide.
“This isn’t about creating another exclusive circle,”
Belloc says.
“It’s about designing a new kind of space where everyone has a place at the table—if they’re willing to show up.”
FUTURAMAR: Auction & Closing Ceremony
Vallarta Art District
Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 6 PM
Pre-registration required
subastavallartapride.org
Before We Go Here’s 5 Tips To Inspire—The Aspiring Art Collector
Words of advice from art collector Ron Valdez.
- There’s an opportunity here to buy affordable young or mid-career artists who may have some future opportunities, not just in Mexico but worldwide.
- Buy what makes you feel good, speaks to you, moves you, or makes you think.
- Invest your money in buying one piece a year so that you start collecting.
- Study the artwork. Not only what first hits you in the face, right? But look at the negative space. What do you see behind it? What story do you see in there?
- Don’t think about the price. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Maybe there will be an opportunity in the future for it to gain in value. But I find the real value really is in how it makes you feel.
The Final Stroke
Ron Valdez is creating a special limited-edition print every year for this auction at an affordable price. There are only 40 prints, so it’s a collector’s piece for Vallarta PRIDE. His hope is that this helps entice and encourage people to come and see these iconic Puerto Vallarta pieces so they can be taken home as a souvenir or kept here at home.
