Anyma has addressed the cancellation of his upcoming Istanbul show, rejecting claims surrounding the religious and political meaning of his visuals and confirming plans to appeal the decision.
The electronic artist, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, was scheduled to bring his ÆDEN World Tour to Ataköy Marina Arena on 12 September. The performance has since been cancelled, with promoter Only You Live confirming the news and announcing that ticket refunds will be processed by Passo from 7 September.
The cancellation followed social media posts alleging that imagery featured in Anyma's audiovisual performances contained "satanic" elements. According to reports, Emin Gökçegözoğlu, Provincial Press and Public Relations Director at the Istanbul Governor's Office, confirmed the cancellation to Turkish fact-checking platform Teyit, attributing the decision to alleged "satanic elements" in the performances.
In a statement shared via Instagram Stories, Anyma responded to the claims and explained the wider narrative behind his live production.
"For those who have experienced this journey with me over the years, you know what I strive to create is first and foremost storytelling," he wrote.
Describing the Anyma show as "a science-fiction story about darkness and light, destruction and creation, fear and hope," Milleri argued that individual scenes from the production had been presented without their broader context.
"Taking one scene from any film or work and presenting it out of context as the meaning of the entire project is fundamentally misleading," he said. "In my story, light ultimately prevails."
According to Milleri, the visual universe behind Anyma's performances has been developed over the past five years alongside artists, designers, and animators, drawing inspiration from art history, mythology, and ancient literature. He added that the production contains "no direct representations of religious figures" and was not intended to attack or disrespect any religion or culture.
The artist also alleged that darker sections of the show had been taken out of context, manipulated using AI, paired with other music, and circulated online to create what he called a "false sinister narrative".
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"Let me be clear. None of my visuals are AI-generated and the greatest irony is that AI was used to alter my work by those who condemn it," Milleri wrote, adding that his art had been turned into "social media and political propaganda".
Anyma also said neither he, his team, nor the promoter received a meaningful warning or an opportunity to discuss the concerns before the cancellation.
"Nobody asked us to explain the work, provide context or discuss possible adaptations. We were and are ready to do so," he said.
The artist maintained that his team has worked with local cultures and customs while touring internationally and said they would have been willing to have similar discussions in Türkiye.
"We intend to appeal the decision and will continue trying to find a path back to Türkiye and to the Turkish people," Milleri wrote. He added that his team remains open to meeting with the relevant authorities to explain the work and provide its full artistic context.
Addressing fans who had purchased tickets or planned to travel for the show, he thanked them for their support before concluding: "I hope we can come back and finish the story in Istanbul together."
The Istanbul date was set to form part of Anyma's ÆDEN global tour, which brings together electronic music, technology, and cinematic visual storytelling.
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