Open Letter to the International New Media Art and Electro-Acoustic Music Community
TKESHI Festival began as a series of events during the pandemic at a unique location in Tbilisi, Georgia — a forested area near Kojori — when clubs and indoor venues were shut down. In 2022, the gatherings continued in solidarity with Ukraine under the threat of Russia’s brutal invasion.
In 2023 and 2024, the team successfully organised two full-scale festival editions, featuring up to 70 local and international artists. The program included audiovisual and electroacoustic performances, installations, food experiences, workshops, talks, and a range of educational and networking activities — all set within a pine forest. This unique format brought people together through new media, sound exploration, and nature.
The core motto of the festival has always been to take new media art into nature, breaking it free from industrial indoor venues and connecting it with open, living environments. After two successful editions, TKESHI Festival gained recognition both locally and internationally, establishing a strong network of peers and collaborators. The festival also aimed to contribute to the development of the media art ecosystem in Tbilisi, especially in the context of the city’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts in 2021.
However, since late 2024, Georgia has entered a period of severe political turbulence. Protests have been ongoing since November 2024, when the ruling party violated democratic norms and election integrity, followed by the introduction of repressive laws targeting civil society, independent media, NGOs, and the cultural sector. For artists and cultural workers, the restrictions began even earlier, in 2021, with the establishment of a new Ministry of Culture and its increasingly authoritarian measures. This situation further escalated with the introduction of the “foreign agents law,” widely referred to as the “Russian Law,” which threatens to isolate Georgia and suppress independent initiatives. Over the past 2–3 years, the independent cultural sector – artists, institutions, collectives, platforms, and festivals – has been locked in a daily struggle to survive and sustain its practices, especially in contemporary and experimental creative fields.
This year, TKESHI Festival, along with other open-air cultural initiatives, was officially denied permission by Tbilisi City Hall to use our long-standing venue at Kojori Forest. Although we had started working on the 2025 program already a year in advance, and despite the disruption caused by the ongoing protests, we remained committed to realising the festival. Yet, we did not expect such an explicit refusal from the municipality.
This open letter is meant to raise awareness about our current situation. It is also an invitation for solidarity. Despite all obstacles, we are determined to organise the 2025 edition of TKESHI Festival at an alternative private location, driven by our resilience and continued commitment. Updates are coming soon on our social media pages and website.
We are open to any form of support, dialogue, or collaboration, and we look forward to hearing from our friends, partners, and community. We are also exploring international collaborations this year and next, including the possibility of presenting artists under the TKESHI Showcase label in various spaces and contexts.
Sincerely,
TKESHI Festival Team
www.tkeshi.com
