Survival Kit 16: Contemporary Art Festival in Riga

The 16th edition of Survival Kit, the annual international contemporary art festival organized by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LLMC), will take place across Riga from 30 August to 28 September 2025. Central to the festival is the exhibition House of See-More, curated by Slavs and Tatars and Michał Grzegorzek, presented at the creative city Grīziņdārzs. This year, the festival explores the mythical bird Simurg as its guiding motif, connecting works, performances, and public programs.

Curator Evarts Melnalksnis leads a series of events introducing the Simurg through stories and practices from Eurasian communities, alongside artistic explorations of play and symbolism on 13, 14, 20, 21, and 26 September. Workshops and performances include fashion artist Jānis Norberts Krauja’s bird-themed workshop and the Amsterdam collection Eggs on Legs, performed with choreographer Ivo Krieviņš, followed by a techno dance night with the queer DJ collective KLIK KLAK.

The festival program also highlights Latvian textile art, with works by Inese Jakobi, and a symposium exploring post-colonial perspectives across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East. A workshop by Fabula engages audiences in observing urban multispecies communities, while performance artist Simona Orinska embodies the Simurg in a ritual presentation at the Grīziņdārz venue.

Complementing the main program are performative walks revisiting past Survival Kit editions, including a digitally mediated walk through the Riga Great Cemetery led by artists Līga Spunde and Joonas Hyvönen. Opening night events feature performances and music by Nadia Markiewicz, Kexin Hao, Filipka Rutkowska, DJ DĖMĖ, and DJ Tim Jugla.

The festival is part of LLMC’s 25th anniversary program and supported by Latvian and international cultural institutions. Cooperation partners include Grīziņdārzs, Molberts, and Cewood.