José Pérez Ocaña

Life & Legacy

José Pérez Ocaña (Cantillana, Seville, 24 March 1947 - 18 September 1983), also known as Ocaña, was a performer artist, painter, and Spanish LGBT rights activist.
Ocaña was a central figure in Barcelona's counter-culture movement during the Spanish transition to democracy, at a time of particular vitality. His performances and artistic endeavours, much like his own life, have been considered pioneers of sexual and gender disobedience practices in Spain, in the fields of both queer activism and art history. He also stood out as an icon of opposition to Francoism and its social conventions in the final years of the regime, from an anarchist perspective.