Happy tenth birthday to Dark Mofo, which returns to Nipaulina/Hobart from June 8-22 for a fortnight of eerie nocturnal revelry. Run by the Museum of Old and New Art, you can expect a brooding program full of public art, live music and performance – includinga set by gothic popstar Ethel Cain, a giant Korean teddy bear with laser eyes, and the annual nude solstice swim.
Taking place across a host of venues in Hobart, Dark Mofo’s opening night celebration The Gathering will take place in the Hanging Garden’s Cathedral and Odeon Theatre, featuring First Nations artists such as BARKAA, Tasman Keith, dameeela and many more.
Other musical highlights include Max Richter’s multilingual composition reading of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and gigs by Thundercat, Ethel Cain and punk-rock icons Black Flag, who will perform a one-off exclusive Australian show.
Art and performance highlights include Florentina Holzinger’s A Divine Comedy, an Australian premiere that reimagines Dante’s imaginary journey through hell, purgatory and heaven; Giant Teddy, a new commission from EJ Son who has given a teddy bear lasers for eyes and a camera that feeds live surveillance to a separate space in Hobart; and a 70-minute film by Soda Jerk about the psychotropic spectacle of American politics from 2016 to 2021.
Back and bigger than ever, Night Mass: Exstasia will be Dark Mofo’s late-night event taking over three city blocks to create a sprawling metropolis of artworks, performances, cocktail lounges, punk theatre and cinema cabarets. Dark Mofo’s hedonistic masquerade ball, The Blue Rose Ball, also returns and is set to transform an as-yet undisclosed location into a lounge where you can purge your fears while enjoying live music and debaucherous entertainment.
It wouldn’t be Dark Mofo without a baptism of fire (and water) to herald in the winter. On the final night of June 22, the Ogoh-Ogoh totem will be transported in a procession across the waterfront for the annual burning at Mac Point, a public ritual releasing fears by fire. And then, the Nude Solstice Swim will return at sunrise, welcoming back the sun after the longest night and offering renewal and resurrection to whoever needs a new lease of life.
“This year’s festival will be a reflection of the past decade, and while much has changed, our desire to celebrate the longest nights and embrace winter in Tasmania hasn’t wavered,” said Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael. “We can’t wait to light the fires again this June.”
Dark Mofo will take place between June 8-22 and general tickets go on sale April 5 at 2pm. Get them on the website here.