The Palestinian festival has shared a public statement, alleging that the venue PTX, in Athens, has not paid artists involved with their collaboration.
This year, Exist Festival staged its 2022 edition at PTX in Athens. The two-day event took place on 31 May and 1 June, hosting a programme of talks, panels, installations and performances. Exist Festival has since posted a statement online, alleging that the venue hasn’t paid over 20 of the artists who played at the event. The statement reads: “It has been over two months and we have watched other artists get paid with the money we are owed with little recourse in the matter.”
It continues: “We believe that 2+ months and around 18 events at @ptxathens since our collaboration is more than enough time to have settled this matter which is why we are now forced to say something publicly.” The team at Exist are calling upon their friends and community to not take bookings at PTX.
Hiro Kone, who played a live set at Exist, has reposted the statement.
View this post on Instagram
Friends, please do not take bookings at PTX Athens until myself and the rest of the artists of Exist Festival have been paid. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/y1qX2JCsoP
— 𝐻𝒾𝓇𝑜 𝒦𝑜𝓃𝑒 (@PatchBae) June 13, 2022
In an email to Crack Magazine, Hiro Kone – real name Nicky Mao – said that Exist had been invited by PTX to hold the event at the venue. She wrote: “PTX club has been evading payment for over two months to the organisers of Exist, both in the form of fees for the artists, as well as reimbursements (such as travel costs). For us as a collective, coming forth publicly with this issue was our last resort, a choice we really didn’t make lightly.”
Exist Festival was first launched in Jordan, in Ramallah, in 2019. The Palestinian event moved to Athens for the first time this year.
We’ve reached out to PTX for comment.
