IN THE MOUNTAINS is a queer and feminist art platform and annual festival established in Berlin in 2024 to facilitate professional exchange between artists, curators, and activists from the South Caucasus and the Berlin cultural sector.

As the South Caucasus region faces an increasingly restrictive political climate and crackdowns on queer and feminist art activists, the festival serves as a vital safe space in exile. It bridges contemporary artistic protest with community healing, allowing marginalised groups to safely network, exchange, and preserve their cultural identity together with planning further resistance.

The platform functions as a strategic bridge to integrate South Caucasian perspectives into the European cultural landscape while providing a protected space for discourse on human rights and regional stability.

In the mountains took place at ACUD MACHT NEU (2024) and at Panke Culture (2025) financed by the German Federal Foreign Office - program »Strengthening Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries«, European Commission / Creative Europe, Netherlands Embassy in Tbilisi, Goethe Institut Georgien / EU4Dialogue programme, Supporting Act Foundation, Dreilinden gGmbH, Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung. For the 2026 edition, the festival will be held at “Festsaal Kreuzberg” uniting over 20 South Caucasian art collectives, journalist groups, and activist organizations to build joint strategies against growing regional repression.

The program centers on the performance “Berika”, a project that applies a queer-feminist framework to traditional South Caucasian heritage, making regional folk culture accessible to communities working toward the advancement of queer rights both regionally and internationally.

̸Line Up

• Berika
• South caucasus DJs (Curated Night Program)
• South Caucasian Art Collectives (TBA)
• Public Talks & Panel Discussions
• Regional Film Screenings
• Community & Art Market
• Workshops
• Book presentation

Präsentiert von In The Mountains