Anyma issues statement after Istanbul show cancelled over “satanic” imagery claims

The A/V show was supposed to take place as part of his ÆDEN tour, but was cancelled after social media posts accused the artist of using Satanic imagery.

Anyma has issued a statement after his Istanbul show was cancelled due to claims that the Italian artist’s live shows contained “satanic” imagery.

The show was supposed to bring an A/V spectacle to the Ataköy Marina Arena on 12th September as part of the ÆDEN tour, but permission for the event was withdrawn by the Istanbul Governor’s Office after local campaigners shared images on social media with calls for the show to be cancelled.

An official statement from the Istanbul Governor’s Office has yet to be made, but Turkey-based independent fact-checking organisation Teyit 1 were able to get confirmation from Provincial Press and Public Relations Director Emin Gökçegözoğlu that the show’s cancellation was due to alleged “satanic elements”.

He also claimed that images shared by campaigners had been manipulated using AI before being shared on social media.

Anyma also said neither he nor the promoter nor his team “received any meaningful warning or opportunity for dialogue before the show was cancelled. Nobody asked us to explain the work, provide context or discuss possible adaptations.

This isn’t the first time an artist’s live show has been cancelled at short notice in Turkey. Earlier this year, Irish post-rock group God Is An Astronaut had a gig at the Ataköy Marina Arena cancelled just hours before it was due to start after they were accused of promoting Satanism.

The ÆDEN tour and Anyma’s [UNVRS] Ibiza residency through this summer follow the release of the deluxe version of his ‘The End Of Genesys’ LP last December. The record included the EJAE-featuring single ‘Out Of My Body’.