Center of Digital Arts in Valencia: Bombas Gens

Valencia’s art scene can be a little overwhelming. You can hardly walk a block without running into some other museum, or gallery, or amazing street graffiti… it’s too much! We recently decided to take a walk through the city’s Marxalenes Park, just to get away from the constant art bombardment… but what did we find? Yet another awesome new museum: the Bombas Gen, dedicated to digital art. Fine! We’ll check this one out, too. If we must!!

The Bombas Gens building is by itself worth a visit. A former hydraulic pump factory, this is a prime example of early 20th-century industrial architecture, with an art deco design by the Valencian architect Cayetano Borso di Carminati. After years of being abandoned, the building has found a new purpose, providing exhibition rooms for new digital art.

There is no permanent show at the Bombas Gens, with exhibitions that are changing all the time (much like the world of Digital Art, I suppose). So it’s worth checking the agenda before planning a visit.

During our time there, we saw a couple cool shows, including a huge installation of semi-transparent prints hanging from the ceiling. Walking past them created a shifting, evolving overlay effect of colors and patterns.

Another notable art piece was a giant LED wall facing towards the end of the hall, flickering in different colors, creating an eerie tunnel effect. Along with these large-scale installations were more conventional pieces of art, framed and hanging from the walls, the way you would expect it from a museum.

But as cool as the art was, we were more captivated by the building and its history. Here you also find one of the city’s underground Refugios, which protect Valencianos from possible air raids during the Spanish Civil War. These bunkers can be visited now, though a tour needs to be arranged beforehand.

And if all the architecture, history and art makes you hungry, we have some good news for you. Found on the Bombas Gens complex is the high-end Ricard Camarena Restaurant, run by Valencia’s most famous chef. If a meal at this fine dining establishment doesn’t fit into your budget, just do what we did: wander into the neighborhood surrounding the Bombas Gens. Because it’s a bit outside of the city center, there are still loads of local places serving excellent food at reasonable prices. And who needs a Michelin star, when what you’re craving is a bocadillo and a beer?

From our Travel Blog.

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